Turning the Page

Dr. Norm Carey, after 34 years in the English Department at the Academy, has taught his last class. He retires in June 2015.

NORM CAREY’S STORY BEGINS with an inspirational teacher—as such stories often do. Young Norm grew up in Rumford, Maine, a small town between Waterville and the New Hampshire border. His ninth-grade English teacher taught him two important lessons that have resonated throughout his life: have an opinion and don’t settle for mediocrity.

Norm’s parents expected him to take over his family’s oil business, but that task fell to his brother when Norm went to college at Bowdoin. The college is home to the Na- thaniel Hawthorne Collection, and Norm spent a fair bit of time studying Hawthorne’s manuscripts. That, coupled with another teacher who left an impression—this time the Herman Melville scholar who served as Norm’s advisor—left him with a lifelong love of 19th and 20th century American literature. His honors thesis at Bowdoin, on Hawthorne, earned him summa cum laude honors and inspired him to continue his education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his doctoral degree with an expansion of his undergraduate thesis.

Not Exactly Dead Poets’ Stuff

It was a common enough thing, Walking into another teacher’s classroom

To hand out a quiz in her absence— A small favor for a friend—no big deal. There they sat, honors freshmen, The promise of tomorrow in their eyes. And suddenly the years melted, and I saw another class— Just as young, their eyes equally bright, Now come and gone, chasing their dreams while I sit here Facing the years ahead with the sudden awareness That these kids will never know me, That I will never be able to show them The beauty of words, the beauty of their own minds, And the terrible, precious wisdom that waits for them In Melville’s sea, Whitman’s grass, and Gatsby’s smile. I pay the price all old teachers pay, and it’s okay— I’ve given so many of them just what they needed, And it’s comforting to know that they can take it from there.

– NORM CAREY

He came to Cushing in 1978 and has been here since, with the exception of the three years he spent in Santa Fe, N.M., as the head of a school for Native American students. He found that job because of Cushing’s Native American Preparatory School program. Although he clearly didn’t stay in Santa Fe, he developed an appreciation for the deeply spiritual culture of his students.

He returned to Cushing at the request of Headmaster Joseph Curry, where he took up the job as head of the English Department. He figures that, of his years at Cushing, he spent 27 of them as head of the English Department, and he’s seen some amazing teachers come and go during that time. He also spent more time than he wanted to dealing with budgets and developing curricula, so a few years ago, he prevailed upon Rebecca Lefcourt to take over that role so he could focus on what he loves best—his students.

Norm’s office shows evidence of his taste in literature. A bookshelf contains Shakespeare, Salman Rushdie, James Joyce, Dante, and George R.R. Martin, plus a copy of Moby-Dick, of course. Anyone who has ever taken an English class with Dr. Carey knows of his love for Melville’s influential work. Though the books may seem rather eclectic, many feature a common theme: the hero quest. A few years ago, Norm read Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces, and the book left an impression. Indeed, Norm thinks the book provides a unified theory that explains all of literature in a way that really makes sense to him. The hero journey, he says, is a universal theme that transcends time, culture, and genre. Suddenly, he saw heroes everywhere. His interest in that theme is evident, not only on his bookshelf, but also in a senior seminar he teaches on the subject.

During one class day this winter, he was teaching a poetry class and an advanced literature class. The assignment for the young Cushing poets: find a poem—or write an original one—and bring it to read aloud to the class. Sam Reynolds ’15 read “O Captain! My Captain!”, which prompted Dr. Carey to remark that he planned to use a gift certificate he received for Christmas to get “Yawp” tattooed on his arm. He also told the class that Walt Whitman wrote that particular poem about Abraham Lincoln, whose death had pained him. Among the other poems read that day: “The Times They Are A-Changin’” by Dylan, “Out” by Ginsberg, and “Fire and Ice” by Frost.

Every poem is an opportunity for learning, of course. Dr. Carey points out how alike Ginsberg and Whitman are, how the Frost poem has a connection to Dante’s Inferno, and gives a high five to a shy student who volunteers to read. Class ended with a rhyming game, the winner of which won a “Get out of deadlines” pass for the following week. The game ends the class on a joyful and laughter-filled note.

Ten minutes later, the advanced literature students arrive, prepared to delve into William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Later, Dr. Carey said sotto voce that he doesn’t teach this novel every year because it requires a certain type of student. “These kids are good enough to read it and work things out for themselves. That’s better than me just talking to them.” To the class he remarks, “It’s okay if you can’t figure it all out. Some of it isn’t figure-outable.” And of course, everything has some connection to Moby-Dick. He asks the class, “Wouldn’t it be fun to do a creative writing assignment where Benjy and Ahab have a conversation over lunch?” learned something new or when they’ve learned to feel better about themselves. And so, as his story began with an inspirational teacher in a small town in Maine, Norm’s Cushing story ends with an inspirational teacher as well, only this time it is he.

Of course, while he’s leaving the Academy, he’s still the same Norm Carey—never one to sit still for long, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be doing much retiring. He got married in April and plans to spend lots of quality time with his bride. He also plans to publish a book of poetry, go to school to learn auto repair, get a Harley, learn Chinese so he can go to China with son Nate ’97, proofread grant proposals for extra pocket change, and travel and have adventures like Bilbo Baggins.

Safe travels, Norm!

“No,” came the unequivocal reply from his students. Asked why Moby-Dick holds such a fascination for him, he says, “My reading experience of that book paralleled my life experience. When I read that book at different stages of my life, I was ready for what it had to say.” He’s fascinated by the power of the book as a veiled prophecy about what happens if we don’t pay attention to how we treat our environment. He goes on to say, “Moby-Dick stands for a lot of things. That’s the beauty of a symbol.”

For Norm, his time at the Academy really has been all about the students, and he has left quite an impression. He tells the story of seeing an alumna at a recent holiday party in Boston: “It really came home to me then. She came to the event with her yearbook and showed me what I had written in it. She told me she had used my note as a way to guide her life. Teachers are really given an exceptional opportunity to change people’s lives.”

Unsurprisingly, when asked what he’s most proud of in his career, he doesn’t talk about his own accomplishments, but rather those of his students. He says he’s proud of the kids who learned to like school, or enjoy reading, or learned that they could succeed. What he’ll miss most is the way the students look at him when they’ve