“Never expect students to be more excited about learning than their teachers.”
You can find this quote hanging in Mr. Freeburg’s room. And if that doesn’t tell you enough about him maybe the colorful felt horse pictures, the band posters, and dog pictures can help.
Andy Freeburg is a teacher like no other. He jumps around with T-Rex arms, makes lots of noises; pterodactyl sounds, and has a robot voice. But he is a teacher that will make sure you left his classroom having learned something that you can take with you in life.
What prepared him to become this crazy teacher that teaches kids all about English?
“Nothing.”
“Nothing prepares you for what it will be like on the other side of the chair. No one prepares you for the first time a student yells or cries. You have to go for it, see if it works and if it doesn’t you either figure it out or you don’t.”
Mr. Freeburg is about the flow and exchange of ideas. He likes teaching teenagers because “they’re sophisticated enough, but are still like wild animals”.
He means no harm in saying this because what he means is that they’re old enough to get it and understand the “freedom, ideas, and energy” but that they are also wild enough to keep him young and the creativeness flowing.
His main goal in teaching is to join teaching and enjoyment.
“Taking psychology and English content and finding a perfect blend…if that doesn’t work, you figure it out and find a positive situation.”
Not all students have had Mr. Freeburg for their teacher, but most have at least heard of him and his robot voice. But where did the robot voice come from? How did he become this teacher that loves punk rock bands, literature, and skateboarding?
“Formative moments in my life? Ahh, man. Well let’s see. 1984, Christmas, I got my first skateboard magazine. My bio class, some kid left some magazines in the desk. They were a punk rock and a skateboarding magazine and I took them home.
1992, sophomore year in college had Dr. Young as a professor at La Crosse. It was the first really intense, intelligent class I’d been in.
1998 I got married. My wife’s cool, I like her.
And in 2002 I started working here.”
So now we know some of what Mr. Freeburg is about. What does he want us to think when he’s gone? What will be the legacy of this T-Rex, robot man? What will he do without wild teenagers to teach?
“I don’t care. It’s about what you’re doing right now. I’m only as good as I am right now.
There is also what I want my current students to take with them when they go. Remember the passion and the fire. That they put hard work and effort into what they did, but got out enjoyment and feeling as though they really learned something.
But after I’m gone I’d love to work at a natural foods grocery store. I love the culture, the food. I can’t wait to talk about soy milk and quinoa.”