Here at Oliver Ames high school, the history department is packed full of teachers who exemplify many different encouraging personalities. None stand out more than the jubilant personality and positive attitude of Mr. Abarr. Built on the pillars of school, family, and sports, Abarr carries himself with the poise of someone who wants to make everybody’s days better.
When it comes to extracurricular activities inside and outside of the school setting, Mr. Abarr wears many hats. The balancing act that comes with all the stuff he does is almost unfathomable, and comes with its fair share of challenges.
“Once parenthood comes, it changes everything. So both of my boys are playing baseball for the first time in the spring, and it takes a lot more careful planning, and understanding of time, not wasting time, managing a schedule with a family and a team, and then making sure all my grading and planning gets done is a lot. But I’ve been working a lot harder on organizing my time and my calendars with my family.”
When it comes to the origin of the idea behind starting to teach, Abarr came from humble reasons. The passion for teaching was embedded into him from the people that made his schooling experience great.
“I, in high school, really liked my teachers. I had a good mix of really young teachers that loved it, and really old teachers that still loved it. And my teachers seemed like the happiest adults in my life. So I was like, ‘I want to do that.’ I originally wanted to be an English teacher but then in college I decided to do history.”
A very important part of preventing a teacher from experiencing burnout is being a part of a stellar community. It has been made very clear that Abarr really enjoys the place that he is in, related to teaching on the personal and professional level.
“Right, it’s gonna be kinda corny but I love it here. This is exactly what I imagined teaching being. It’s where I want to finish my career. I don’t want to do anything else but this, for the next 30 years or whatever it is until I retire. My students are great. My “worst student” I ever had used to tell me to have a good weekend. Put quotations on that part. So even my bad students were good people. The parents in the community are supportive. My colleagues are excellent. It’s not perfect, nothing’s perfect but it’s a great environment for me to work in.”
While he connects with his students through light-hearted and fun spirited lessons in the classroom, Abarr also makes it a priority to connect with his players on the diamond. Bringing his teaching skills into the dugout allows Mr. Abarr to be a powerful force on the coaching front, even if his early opportunities fell into his lap from tragedy.
“So, I played baseball up and through college, and then I worked for the Paw Sox after school as my part time job. I actually started coaching softball at my first coaching position. In kind of a roundabout way, the head softball coach died in a car accident when the season started, and they needed somebody to step in, so I did that. So my first two years I was a head coach on the softball team. Then I went to teach at the high school where I went, and I worked for my high school baseball coach for three years. Then I came here and I was a volunteer for three years, and then when Leo Duggan retired in 2016, I took over as the head coach.”
Looking back at what has already happened and the memories that have been made in the past is great, but looking forward to what lies ahead is even more apparent. With regards to what’s next, Abarr looks to continue his ways as one of the most kind-hearted people in the Oliver Ames community.
“This, for the next 30 years. No, I’m just kidding. But in all seriousness I like this job as I said, I hope to do this. Things have changed a lot in 15 years. But I keep reminding myself that the kids really haven’t changed, and that’s why I like doing this. I like being around young people. I was fortunate to have good teachers that cared about me when I was a kid, and I’m just trying to do that, as best as I can. And if I can remember that, then the job is not easy, but it’s also not a grind. I do think some teachers get really burnt out as time goes on, because culture and technology and music and stuff changes, but I just remind myself that the kids are the same. They’re just kids, you gotta try to help them, meet them where they’re at. And that’s my goal for the next, however many years until I can retire.”
