Photo taken by Chloe Marazzani
Robert Glasgow is a teacher at South Salem High School. He grew up in the Quad-Cities, which is about 2.5 hours from Chicago. It is located on the Iowa – Illinois border. He is from Iowa and lived there until the early 2000’s. When growing up his favorite show to watch was “The David Letterman show” on his portable black and white TV in his room until midnight.
“His humor was very different at the time. I have always been a night owl. Living in Spain was a really good fit,” Glasgow said.
What He Teaches
Glasgow teaches IB Spanish (Spanish V and Spanish VI) as well as Spanish II. Glasgow received his undergraduate degree at Central College.
“My focus was cross-cultural studies. I also took courses in Latin American History, Spanish Literature, French, German, political science, Chinese history and language. I also received my Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in teaching Foreign Languages from the University of Iowa,” Glasgow said.
Because of all those courses, Glasgow can speak four languages. It didn’t come easy, and he had to put in work and effort to get where he is today.
“In middle school I didn’t understand that I needed to form a personalized process to understand and master academic material. I just thought that the tasks were above my learning capacity. I did not do well in Spanish. I was going to drop, but I had a teacher (Sra. Maslanka) that would not let me off the hook. There was a pivotal moment. She sent a group of students that hadn’t done their homework to the library and scolded us harshly. I began to study for her tests to avoid being in that group. Once I began to study for Spanish, I learned to do the same for other classes. Many other teachers have inspired me, but this was the first one to push me down the right path,” Glasgow said.
Jobs Before Becoming A Teacher
Before becoming a teacher, Glasgow worked as an instructional assistant for Salem Keizer District in the Special Education program. He also worked as an assistant for English Language learners in Iowa.
“My very last job before becoming a teacher was in International Collections. I had to call people in Latin America, Brazil, and the Caribbean and ask them about their phone bill in Spanish, French, and well-rehearsed Portuguese,” Glasgow said.
Why He Decided To Become A Teacher
Glasgow decided to become a teacher when he received his undergraduate degree and returned to the United States of America after being in Spain for two years.
“I started to work with high school students that were learning English. Other teachers saw that I worked really well with the kids and urged me to go back and get my MAT or teaching certificate,” Glasgow said.
Favorite Things About Being A Teacher
Though Mr. Glasgow has many favorite things about teaching, one of his favorites has to be working with a variety of students.
“Well, there are many different ways to answer. I feel that working with diverse students with a wide range of personalities keeps teachers in tune with society’s realities and the times we all live in. Establishing a rapport and creating a classroom community with my students is the most amazing thing about being a teacher,” Glasgow said.
Who Inspires Mr.Glasgow
Someone who inspires Mr.Glasgow everyday are the students and colleagues.
“The students and colleagues that are overcoming major challenges, but still manage to move forward. Likewise, I admire people that derive their self-esteem from uplifting others,” Glasgow said.
Challenges Of Being A Teacher
Though there are perks to teaching there are also some challenges as well. One thing Mr. Glasgow finds challenging is working with students who want a high level grades and a high GPA but do not fully understand how to get to that point but think they deserve that high level grade and GPA which can become a struggle.
“I think there are students that want to get As and a 4.00 GPA that simply don’t understand that learning is the essential component of that pathway. So, things become a struggle when the kids that have not mastered the material still feel they deserve an A. As stated above, I also wasted a great deal of energy when I was in middle school to get out of doing the minimum amount of work. It took one teacher to make me learn to hold myself accountable. I often wonder what would have happened if I had not taken Spanish with Sra. Maslanka, or if I had just given up on her class. Teachers could not use her same methods in 2024, so we have to be more strategic in guiding the students,” Glasgow said.
Why Should People Should Be A Teacher
Though there are highs and lows of being a teacher, one reason why Mr. Glasgow thinks people should go into teaching because you get to make a difference in someone’s life and watch it happen.
“I think there are many reasons why people go into teaching. I truly believe that education is liberation, but some students may not see that right away. The greatest quality of the USA is that we strive to give everyone access to education. I get many visits and messages from former students that are living in Spanish speaking countries or use Spanish in their daily life. They often cite our conversations as “break through” moments. However, many did not fully grasp that at the time. In a nutshell, teaching is a long term investment. The greatest reward is seeing that you made a difference in another person’s life and helped them to invest in their own intellectual development,” Glasgow said.
Places Where He Has Traveled
Glasgow has traveled to many places throughout his life. Like Germany, Chicago and Minneapolis.
“In the 80s I traveled to Mexico quite often and did a foreign exchange to Germany. In the 90s I lived two years in Spain. I often go to Colombia nowadays. I love to travel and have traveled to Washington, D.C., Boston, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Orlando as a delegate for the National Education Association,” Glasgow said.
Mr. Glasgow has traveled to many places but his favorite place he has ever gone to was San Andrés in the Caribbean
“Most of the tourists are Colombian, Brazilian, Argentinian or Canadian. People are not allowed to live there unless they can show that they have family roots (Raizal). The land remains relatively unexploited and the traditional culture is authentic and strong,” Glasgow said.
