Benjamin Maggard posing for "Tourist Tuesday" during Spirit Week
Benjamin Maggard is a student favorite who teaches World History at Watauga High School, primarily focusing on making learning exciting and intriguing. The environment in his classroom makes new students feel comfortable and connected with their education in a fun way. This year marks two years since he began teaching at Watauga High School, but the relationships he has built would make students think he has taught here for many years.
One of Maggard's biggest focuses is making connections with his students. At the beginning of the year, Maggard sends out a questionnaire to learn about his student's interests and hobbies. This helps him understand and relate to his students.
¨I think building relationships is the most important thing for any teacher to do,” said Maggard. “I begin the semester with a questionnaire just asking what students' interests are, such as what are your hobbies, music taste, sports, clubs, favorite artists, and favorite food. Just anything they want to tell me. I enjoy finding ways to connect. I just want students to know that I care about them and their life is special to me.¨
In every assignment that Maggard gives, he tries to make learning as entertaining as possible. Bringing energy into every lesson is a big factor in this teaching.
“I just try to mix it up the best I can. I remember when I was a student, I hated getting worksheet after worksheet, so I just try to change the pace and always keep students doing something different to keep their attention,” said Maggard. “There are still some lessons that can be boring, but I just try to bring the energy and make them excited to be here and learn.”
When a new student walks into his classroom, Maggard sets many goals to reach them. He enjoys building positive relationships and looking for specific learning styles in students to help them learn efficiently.
¨As I am getting to know my students, I try to look for their learning styles so that I can adjust or adapt my lessons to cater to all students and make learning exciting,” said Maggard. “I also try to establish a positive and safe classroom environment for all students so they feel as comfortable as possible during their time in my class from the very start.”
Unlike other teachers, Maggard has an interesting story about how he began teaching. One dream led him to his teaching career.
“I was at App State for business. I thought I wanted to open a bait and tackle shop. I had taken a couple of history classes and realized that I had a strong interest in that,” said Maggard. “Shortly after I was preparing to declare my major as Business Management, but I had a dream that I was in front of a class teaching history so the next day I went to declare my major and changed it to History, Secondary Education.”
Although Maggard is a hard worker, he has a lot of interests and hobbies. Maggard loves to do things like play softball, hike, and fish.
“I enjoy being outdoors fishing, hiking, kayaking, tubing, and walking/ playing frisbee with our 8-year-old Boxer, Lincoln,” said Maggard. “I like to play slow-pitch softball and pickleball occasionally. During the winter months, you can find me binge-watching multiple TV shows and putting together a good puzzle.”
In the short time Maggard has been at Watauga High School, he has made an enormous impact on many students' education. The methods that Maggard implements in his classroom make a student's learning experience comfortable and fun.
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