When walking down the top floor of the A wing hallway you are likely to see Mr. Patrick Touart in one of his countless Hawaiian shirts standing outside his classroom which is filled from the floor to the ceiling with student projects and historical posters.
Advanced World History, AP U.S. History, and AP Government and Politics is taught by Touart who has always had an interest in history. His parents and grandfather both helped instill an interest in all things history. Touart explains that growing up his parents would take him to different battlefields and museums throughout Virginia while his grandfather who was very interested in the Civil War would give him all types of history related items.
Even though Touart always had a love for history he never planned on becoming a high school history teacher. Touart explains how his current job was not originally the game plan,“I never expected to be a teacher in high school.” He first went to college for business, but ultimately ended up with a degree in history from Virginia Tech.
Touart’s cha
nge in plans has worked out very well considering he has just entered his 26th year of teaching and has no plans to stop anytime soon. When asked where he sees himself in 10 years Touart quickly replied with, “I hope still here,” he follows that up by saying, “that doesn’t scare me, the thought of still being here in 10 years.” This is what senior Azam Khan admires most about Touart. “My favorite thing about Touart is how he’s qualified for a much better job and just decided to be a teacher,” Khan said.
While Touart gives himself at least 10 more years as a teacher, in the event of a zombie apocalypse he says he would “be good for about 6 months.” Though he has a “bug out bag” in his car and plenty of water, he feels he doesn’t grow enough food to last any longer.
Touart may not be scared of sticking around Tunstall for the next 10 years, but there are definitely some students who are scared of taking Touart’s class. There has always been a reputation around Touart’s AP U.S. History class for being quite challenging. “I certainly know that reputation and I think it’s probably well deserved,” Touart explains, “for a lot of kids it’s the first time they’ve had a class like mine.” He does not want his class to be the hardest in the building, but he knows h
ow challenging the course is. Touart believes that you have to push hard to get good results. He says he wants to “teach students to have higher expectations for themselves,” by setting high standards for everyone in his classroom.
Touarts proudest accomplishment “has always been [his] students’ success.” Knowing that his students have reached such a high level of achievement is the best gratification. Touart has had “personal recognitions,” but he credits it all to his students’ ability to “perform well.” His goal for all his students is that they reach their dreams so that they are able to “live their best lives… and find what rewards [them].”
Students are his main source of motivation, and even though every year he has a few students that are not able to perform their best on the final exam, he finds relief in knowing they “tried their hardest and that they are better than when they started.”
When asked if he could take his students anywhere in the world Touart replied, “Venice! … Florence and Venice, [because] it is beautiful and the food is fantastic.” He has also considered a Band of Brothers Tour. The idea came from the Agent O series book about the 101st Airborne Division in World War II. “You would start in Georgia, and then you end up in England, then France, to Holland for the Battle of the Bulge, and then you end in Germany.”
“I’m happy being alive right now,” said Touart. “We have better health care than we have ever had in the history of humanity, we have more educated people… and better options for culture and experience than I could have dreamed of as a kid.”
