Bob McAllister has long worked as an actor, a director, a poet, but above all, he has been a teacher. In his over thirty years of teaching English at Bainbridge High School, he has personified his profound faith in the power of words to shape and bring meaning to experience. The example he gives of acceptance and respect for individuality has inspired students to stretch themselves and to take risks. In addition to the bright and motivated kids, Bob has gathered under his wings the misfits, the unpopular, the timid, the withdrawn, the angry. And what did he teach, what were his basic instructions to his classes? “Go on. Dig deeper. Think more.”
Bob was a tough grader, but his students could rewrite a paper as many times as they wanted to better their grade, and he would read each draft and comment. Imagine receiving that message: As long as you keep on trying, someone will pay attention to your work, applaud your effort, cheer you on!
Ask Bob what started him on this path and he’ll tell you, “Well, in high school I had this great teacher…”