T H E JTITLE A Y N O TGEOSE SI NHTER EREV IEW
what we’re going through and we are going through it together. I think that’s part of being a Jesuit and it relates directly to Jesus — He listened to people and their stories, and He was able to change our lives. Jaynotes: After you graduated from Creighton University in 1998 with a history degree, your first teaching assignment as a Jesuit took you to the Jesuit High School in Tampa. What was that like? Huck: (Laughing) It was the worst year of my life. The boys
knew I was the new teacher and they took advantage of me. They smelled blood in the water like sharks and they went after me. That first year of teaching was not easy. But there was something about being with high school kids that I liked. In my second year, I became campus minister. I was also in charge of the choir and the music for the Masses. I enjoyed a variety of experiences during my four years at Jesuit Tampa.
Jaynotes: But then you returned to your alma mater for your next assignment. Huck: I came here for the 2004-05 school year, which was great
because there were several teachers who taught me who were still here. I understood more about teaching and the result was that I felt more grounded in the classroom.
Jaynotes: Who were some of those teachers who most influenced you as a student? Huck: I started as a freshman and two teachers were very good for
me — Ms. Denise Dupuis taught English and Ms. Rosalyn Kreller taught social studies. (Ms. Kreller is known as Mrs. Rosalyn Moreau; she the wife of Jesuit athletic director Dave Moreau and still teaches social studies.) I was a new student and they were caring and encouraging. In my sophomore English class, Mr. Tim Murphy was a stern disciplinarian, but we could have fun with him and learn at the same time. (Mr. Murphy ’XX today serves as executive director of Manresa.) Ms. (Kathy) Tomeny made geometry come alive. I remind her every now and then that she gave me my one and only PH in the four years I was here — for not having my nametag. She was following the rule and she was right. It wasn’t personal. I’ve given PHs for the same thing. In fact, when I was in Ireland for my Tertianship, three kids got PH after I informed Top (Abshire, Jesuit’s prefect of discipline) that they were posting to Facebook from their phones on campus. [laughs]
Jaynotes: What inspired you to teach high school boys? Huck: It’s funny, but a lot of teachers don’t particularly enjoy
teaching sophomores. It’s not specific only at Jesuit. Sophomores are a tough group because they’re in between. They’re no longer these innocent freshmen or pre-freshmen. Their hormones are raging. They think they know everything, yet they don’t know much of anything. They are rebellious, they think they are adults, and they don’t want to listen to mom and dad anymore. These are all the reasons why I love teaching the sophomores. As much as I try to teach them, I’m always surprised by how much they teach me about life, about love, and about being a person of compassion. At the same time, they want discipline. They’ll never admit it, but they appreciate fairness and discipline.
Jaynotes: You spent most of the 2009-10 school year in Ireland completing your Tertianship? Huck: I was based in Dublin for eight and a half months and in
Edinburgh, Scotland for the final two and a half months. I worked with the homeless as part of my Tertianship program. Tertianship is a time to make the 30-day retreat once again, and to review the constitutions and way of life of the Society of Jesus. I realized
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the Society’s formation process actually works. I saw how my life had been deeply integrated into the ways that we’re supposed to be living as Jesuits. My Tertianship was a very confirming and affirming time of my life as a Jesuit. I’m in the right place and I’m doing what the Lord wants me to do. Jaynotes: How did you deal with students you knew were having trouble outside of school? Huck: They may not say anything about their family life if their
parents are going through a separation or divorce. It’s a tough time for everyone, especially for the kids who try to patch up their family, which may not happen. You’re there for them. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them outside of the classroom. I moderated the Student Council for three years and was the tennis coach for two years. I did a lot of retreats and got to know them in these different contexts and situations. They got to know me differently. Hopefully, they saw the more human side of me, that I’m not perfect, and I can share my imperfections with them. We’re all imperfect. God doesn’t want us to be perfect, but we’re still loved. Many kids have a hard time accepting that, even some of the seniors. When I taught the senior prayer class, they so much realized what they had done wrong that they focused only on the negatives. I saw the goodness in them, their many gifts and talents, and how generous and caring they were, but they didn’t or couldn’t see it themselves..
Jaynotes: Why do you think that is? Is it their home environment, the crazy world they’re growing up in? Huck: Many have a hard time expressing their goodness and their
gifts. The majority of the boys don’t want to be showy or arrogant. They want to be humble. You always have a few exceptions. There is a simple exercise I’ve done with many students. I ask them to write a list of all the things they like about themselves. Can they recognize the giftedness that the Lord has given them? And the kids can usually list two or three things quickly, but it becomes difficult. They take a long time to come up with a list of 10 things they like about themselves.
Jaynotes: Did you also ask them to compile a list of what they don’t especially like about themselves? Huck: Yes, and that’s a very easy list to make because they are
very much aware of their imperfections and their sinfulness. But spending too much time dwelling on imperfections is not healthy. It’s not good spiritually. I would tell my students, “When you spend time sitting with the Lord, let the Lord show you your giftedness. By doing so, it helps you to see how good a person you really are, and how you can help other people and share your goodness with them. What you do, and do well, you do most of the time.” Basically, God wants us to be loving, compassionate, and forgiving.
Jaynotes: Over the years, have some of the Jesuit students sought help with personal problems and confided in you? Huck: When you spend time with them outside of school just
talking, you pick up things which start adding up. “Ah, that’s it, that explains it,” whether it’s something good or something they’re struggling with. Now I understand how to help the person a little bit better. But it’s hard because I’m a student’s teacher. I am not their friend. I am an adult to the student, an authority figure, but one, hopefully, as compassionate and caring as a parent would be towards their children. There are always a few kids who I’ve taught and have graduated in which a friendship developed. One of the good things is, they feel much freer to tell you something insightful because they’re no longer students here and can’t get in trouble.