Levi Nogues, a former high school teacher, is an inspiration to many. He grew up in New Hampshire near Warner and didn’t have the most fantastic upbringing by his parents who used drugs and were abusive. His family moved and he switched schools; later he decided it was time to move out and get away from his parents, he was only 16 at the time. He stayed in school and was inspired and in a way, taken care of by some of his teachers, who always made sure that he was okay. They helped turn his life around, and he went on to college. He started at University of Southern Maine, and then transferred to University of New Hampshire, where he graduated with a BA of History and a MA of Teaching; with his degrees he was able to become a teacher himself, and be an inspiration to his students as his teachers

 

1. Who/what are your inspirations?

Definitely Mrs. Halverson and Mr. Delaphonse (two high school teachers). They really went out of their way to make sure that I was okay after I moved out. And it really amazed me that people, who didn’t even really know me, cared so much about me. Even my best friend’s parents stepped up and made sure that I was doing all right. I was really inspired by how strangers who don’t even know you will help out and it amazes me on how people can do that.

 

2. What made you want to go into teaching, specifically high school students?

I started as a middle school teacher actually, and then switched over to the high school. I guess what made me want to, was that at then end of my sophomore year, when I moved out. I had decided to move out because I came home one day to my dad being really drunk and aggressive towards me, so I decided I had had enough. After I moved out and my teachers such as Coach Mulin and Mrs. Halverson helped me out, and made sure that I was doing okay, I wanted to help other students as my teachers did for me. They really turned my life around.

 

3. Why a history/social studies teacher?

I have always been a dork or a nerd always reading or writing, mostly history stuff. I had seven sisters and they and they would never bring me anywhere, so I was stuck at home always just reading or writing. I learned a lot, like about Iran and wondered about it. Just to show how much of a nerd I am, I recently just bought a historical encyclopedia of Zelda.

 

4. What were your favorite aspects of teaching?

My favorite aspects of teaching were class discussions, one on one with students to see how they are doing, coaching, asking how they felt about a class topic instead of the standard so this is history, memorize it.

 

5. Where there any Challenges/rewards from teaching?

For challenges I would say the standards that had to be met and followed, the amounts of paperwork, maybe having the boss tell me I have to do something that I don’t feel is right but that’s my boss. Even the simple things you wouldn’t think f as an issue, such as only having a 12 minute lunch, when to use the bathroom.For rewards, it would be when student’s had graduated, moved onto college and came back to visit and saying thanks or you really inspired me, such as how you have done.

 

6. What really happened to make you leave teaching?

I just had vast differences in my beliefs about curriculum enforcement, and other misunderstandings of Education. I believe that education should be relationship-based and that individual students should be nurtured. There is way too much emphasis on test scores, law, and money.

 

7. Looking back do you think it turned out to be a positive experience?

Yeah, it really shows who cares and who doesn’t, what’s important and what’s not important. I moved to South Carolina, my wife finished her schooling and became a doctor, I live near the beach, started a business with a few friends, work form home, it’s February and it’s like 75 degrees outside. It all worked out.

 

8. What do you do now? Work? For fun?

I started a digital media company. We do web design, marketing, commercials, and advertising, basically we are a marketing and advertising company. We even have clients in Europe. For fun, there’s paddle boarding, hurling (an Irish sport), I want to get into surfing but it’s kind of hard, I still go for runs, play with my dogs.

 

9. If you had to do it all over again, would you still go into teaching?

Yes, but a different aspect; I would become a college education teacher. I would teach how to teach better, what matters, how to do a 90 minute lecture, how to be better or more effective as a teacher.

 

10. Do you wish you were still teaching?

I do. I miss it, the good stuff. The practice itself, when you can learn who your students are as person, not who they are by their grade.

 

11. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

On the road I’m on now, I see two options: sell the business and kick back and relax, or drastically change my position, go overseas, bring in bigger clients, etc.

 

12. How have you tried to inspire your students?

Acceptance was number one priority; when I was in elementary/middle school I grew up in horrible conditions and was bullied. When I got to high school I got taller and everyone wanted to then be my friend suddenly. So as a teacher, in my classroom I wanted everyone to be safe; for everyone to be seen as an equal, no bullying, have a safe place to hang out during break and everyone had to learn on the same level.

 

13. How does it feel to know that you have inspired a former student?

As a teacher and also by how you handled the situation, and bounced back from Honestly, it feels great. Considering growing up, no matter what comes up, someone’s there saying it’s okay. You do that by being nice, open, and friendly; here in the south, everyone is so much nicer, open, and friendly. It took me off guard the first time going to a grocery store here, because the cashier asked me how my day was. It’s just totally different. And bouncing back was hard at first. The outcome with the school was that “hey we screwed up, but you can’t come back.” But the people that were there for you, everything turned out all right. That’s when you realize not everything is as it seems.