Last week, English teacher David Rockermann announced that he will not be returning to teach next year. Instead, he and his girlfriend, Anne, will be farming on land they rented in September.
To explain this decision, Rockermann described how his teaching motivated him to follow his own passion.
“Spending the past nine years exploring great works of literature with inquisitive and imaginative students has been a very significant inspiration. ‘Self-Reliance,’ ‘Walden’ and ‘Leaves of Grass’ immediately come to mind,” he said. “With each reading of ‘Walden,’ I’ve wondered what it would be like to try to simplify.”
One of the main themes in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” is the value of simplicity, and Henry David Thoreau, who was influenced by this work, embodied that idea during his time at Walden Pond by removing himself from the materialistic society that was developing around him. Rockermann teaches these works each year to his Honors American Literature classes.
Over the course of the 2012-2013 school year, Rockermann and Anne acquired the materials for this endeavor and began the planting process. First, they bought peony rootstock — the part of the peony plant from which new flowers can be grown — and by December, they had planted the first twelve rows of the sixteen they planned. By March, Rockermann had committed to being on the farm next year.
In terms of planning, Rockermann spent a lot of time writing, particularly about the work and ways of living outside the classroom. He also made lists of potential benefits and losses, and eventually these writings culminated in his final decision to begin this new chapter.
“I won’t know what it will be like until I try it, but writing about it has been a helpful process,” said Rockermann. “I plan on taking it one day at a time.”
While Rockermann said that it was difficult to tell people about his intentions to leave, he said that the response and support has been overwhelming. Brian Keaney, the English department head, expressed his appreciation for Rockermann’s work.
“Though for selfish reasons I hate Mr. Rockermann’s decision to leave teaching, I admire his courage to pursue something that he feels strongly about and will be fulfilling in a different way than teaching,” Keaney said. “I’m sad that Mr. Rockermann is leaving, as he is a fantastic teacher and colleague. He is absolutely authentic in teaching what he values.”
anon • May 22, 2013 at 7:22 AM
What a great article, Cara, and what a great testament to practicing what you 'preach.' We will miss Mr. Rockermann, but we will also see him as a role model. Even in his leaving he is teaching us something.