TJ English Teacher Robert Gagnon is soon saying farewell to TJ.
Photo by Heather Larson
“Teaching becomes a part of you, almost; it gets into your heart a little,” says Thomas Jefferson English Teacher Robert Gagnon, for whom TJ has been a second home for three years. He says it has been an adventure that he can now check off of his list of accomplishments. However, after May 28, Gagnon is retiring, and will be striving to achieve his new goal of fulfilling his life outside of teaching, which he says he has been looking forward to for many years.
Within the past 31 years, Gagnon has been successfully teaching students the ways of the English language, and making teaching not just his job, but one of his hobbies, as well. At the beginning, he had only planned on making this a part of his life for a relatively short period of time. “I went into teaching thinking that I was only going to be doing so for about ten years. I had planned to go do something else and something new after those ten years, but before I knew it 31 years had gone by, and I guess now it’s finally time to go experience new and different things.”
Before embarking on the journey of enriching the minds of students, Gagnon had already earned the status of being an American Hero, as he served in the Vietnam War for one year, and he says that was one of the longest years of his life. “I remember twelve days before I was supposed to return home, I was driving through a city which was off limits to US Personnel after 5 p.m., and of course we got stuck in rush hour and were still in that city. We were trying to make our way out of there, but we started getting shot at. We had to do something, so I started driving down the sidewalks just to get away! After that, I was completely ready to come home, and one of the best moments of my life was making my way safely back onto U.S. soil.”
Gagnon says that one of the positives of being in Vietnam was when he took his R&R (Rest and Recuperation) from the war, and he had the opportunity to visit Sydney, Australia for a week. As Gagnon puts it, “That was one of the best ways to get away, and it was an absolutely great contrast to the war.” He says that one of the best parts was the people, and how friendly and welcoming everyone was towards him and his fellow soldiers.
As Gagnon began teaching at TJ, he was very eager to let the Spartan community get to know him as a person, and tell the stories of where he came from and why he is who he is. “The other teachers and staff at TJ are all very wonderful, caring, and amazing people. I have learned more here about how to be a great teacher within the past three years than I had in the 28 years before that.”
Gagnon has high hopes for every single one of his students and believes every one of them can succeed. “They all have their little quirks, and you just have to figure out who they are and work with them.” The biggest teaching accomplishment in Gagnon’s eyes is making it as a teacher for 31 years. “Every single day is a challenge and an accomplishment when we have all made it through another day.” As for the most challenging parts of his teaching career, he says it is the pressure of making sure the students are properly informed of everything they need to be, and being sure that at the end of the year, they are walking out of the classroom with the head full of knowledge that is needed to complete the class successfully. “It is a very stressful job. I always want to make sure the kids are properly educated.”
Once Gagnon has completed his time at TJ, he has big plans to spend much more time with his family and friends, and doing all the hobbies that he wishes he had more time for now. He has been married to his wife for 21 years, and he has two grown kids, and one of the things he is looking forward to the most within the next year is for his first grandchild to be born. “My oldest, Jenny, is expecting in December, and I am thrilled and excited beyond belief. I’m going to be watching the baby a few days a week, and I am just so eager for that time to come.”
Gagnon has many hobbies that he is greatly looking forward to being able to spend more time enjoying. One of his absolutely favorite things in life is his small fishing boat, which he takes out to Eleven Mile reservoir in Colorado Springs, Cherry Creek Reservoir or Chatfield Reservoir, and just spends the say out on the lake, fishing and enjoying his life. Gagnon considers his most relaxing activities to be fishing and golfing, and ways that he just gets his mind of off the everyday stress of life. ”My boat really is one of my most prized possessions. I love it,” Gagnon said
Other than fishing and golfing, Gagnon spends a lot of his time over the summers – and over any free time that he can get ahold of – traveling throughout the world and experiencing not just what this planet has to offer, but also his heritage. “One place that I really want to go see and experience is where my roots lead me. My ancestors came to Quebec, Canada in 1640 and colonized it. I would absolutely love to go see where my history practically began, and just visit somewhere that beautiful.” While Gagnon has high hopes to go see Canada and his ancestry, he already has many bragging rights about where he has been and what he has seen, as he often takes many trips to Mexico, the Bahamas, Florida, and many other tropical paradises. Gagnon says, however, that of all the places he has been, the Bahamas has definitely been one of his favorites. “It’s just so beautiful there.”
Another special aspect of Gagnon’s life is his spirituality. “One of my most prized possessions is my relationship with God,” said Gagnon, who added that his relationship with God is one that is very personal and that it is what gives him strength to be who he is and live his life every single day. “I know that God has always had a special plan for me, so I know not to worry too much because I am in good hands.” Faith is the number one importance in his life, followed by caring for and about his family, and then just working hard trying to make his life a good one, he said
Gagnon is hoping that the future will be just as much of a journey as it was getting to today. The life ahead for Gagnon is one that is bright. He says that his life here at TJ has been one that nothing else can compare to or replace the memories, and Gagnon is very positive and okay about all of that. “Currently my spot at TJ has not been filled, and I like to look at that as I’m irreplaceable,” Gagnon said with a smile.
