Becoming a teacher was not always a part of Joshua Marr’s plan. While some form of education always surrounded him, Marr was simply unsure of his trajectory in life. “My dad was a teacher; my mom worked at a college,” Marr said, describing his early life. “I also had a tutor. But I didn’t know until much later that I would become a teacher.”
Marr has since been a teacher at H.B. Plant High School for more than 20 years; however, he didn’t always teach at Plant. He used to be a teacher in Missouri. “I used to teach English to sixth through ninth graders at a school in the Ozark Mountains,” Marr said. “But teaching six grades took a toll on me. So my boss told me to branch out a little, and that’s when my friend invited me on a holiday to Tampa. I ultimately received a job interview from Plant, and that was when I knew I wanted to be here.”
Marr teaches literature classes at Plant, where he can relate his joy of books and Shakespeare to others. “I love reading many genres of literature, and I wanted to share my passion with the students,” Marr said.
While he enjoys teaching English, Marr loves another critical part of the job: building connections. For Marr, teaching is not just about teaching; he believes it is essential to build relationships; otherwise, asking for help will always be difficult. “I love getting to know my students; it makes teaching way more enjoyable,” Marr said.
Freshman Ethan Gear, one of Marr’s students, shares his thoughts. “He’s really funny and sarcastic,” Gear said about Marr. “He always finds a way to make me laugh.”
When asked what Marr was most excited about for the future, he said, “I hope we can do more with AI; I would love to integrate it into our classes.”
With Marr’s parting words, he leaves a piece of advice: “The secret to life is maintenance–you simply can’t let things slide; otherwise, life will become a mess.”
The by Ayaan Gupta