HUDSON, N.H. -- The Hudson School District continues to spotlight its wonderful faculty and staff, as it features Nottingham West Fifth Grade teacher, Mr. Crivac! Read below to learn about his incredible background in the Peace Corps, his "treasure hunting" skills, and his love of reading.
Q: How long have you been teaching overall, and how long have you been teaching here at Nottingham West?
A: I’ve been here at Nottingham West ever since they redistricted, so about seven or eight years, and this is my 28th year here in the district. I like to say that I’ve taught at every school in the district. I’ve taught during a summer session at Hills Garrison, I taught special education at the high school and middle school, and I started teaching at H.O. Smith and Library Street School.
Q: What drew you to come to this area originally?
A: I came here because of my wife, Karen. Before this, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, and after serving in the Peace Corps, I taught in Michigan for a year. My wife and I met in the Peace Corps, and when her service was done, she moved back here, where she’s originally from, Hollis. Then, I moved out here, and the rest is history.
Q: I remember seeing you teach a unit about your time in Africa with the Peace Corps, and I’m curious what that experience was like to serve with them in Africa?
A: I joined the Peace Corps right after college. I was born and raised in a very small, rural town in the Midwest, and then I went to college. When I was there, I got exposed to a greater crowd and a greater perspective on the world, which took me into the Peace Corps. I worked in Sierra Leone, West Africa, for most of my time, which was three years total. I worked in tropical agriculture, forestry, and with refugees. There was a war in Liberia at that time, and those refugees spilled over into Sierra Leone, so part of what I did in agriculture turned into refugee help. I worked in refugee camps delivering food supplies for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and developing wood plots, because they didn’t have cooking fuel. We would create forestry plots around these refugee camps, so they could harvest them for simple fuel. Bringing it back, one of the goals for when your service is done is to continue sharing with your community, so I still give talks to Lions Clubs and VFWs. I try to help educate others about that part of the world.
Q: What are the students’ reactions to seeing your presentation?
A: It’s so foreign to me, as it was to me in my early 20s. They have a perception of what Africa is like, and it’s to dispel some of those myths and to allow them to ask some of those curious questions. They like hearing the stories. I’ll tell them some of the things that they used to eat, and it grosses them out. They used to eat monkeys in my village, and to the students, that’s very foreign, but it’s normal in that part of the world.
Q: What originally drew you to get into teaching?
A: It started in high school. In my junior year, I got involved with a program called Future Teachers of America. What they did was connect high schoolers with an interest in education with a local elementary school. For an hour and a half to two hours per day, I’d walk over and work in the elementary school. Then I went off to college, and education was my first major. I just didn’t practice it until I got back from the Peace Corps.
Q: What have been some of your favorite lessons or units that you’ve taught during your time here?
A: Reading has been awesome. We’ve been able to bring some of the literature to life, which I’m all about. For example, all our fifth graders are reading The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl, and we’re going to have a royal breakfast because during one of the chapters, they all go to the queen, and she cooks them breakfast. Reading takes you places, and I love getting kids inspired to become lifelong readers. Science is also part of what I did in college, and I’ve worked for many years with a bunch of different groups in science. That’s hands-on, and it allows students to experience what they’re learning.
Q: What are some hobbies of yours outside the classroom?
A: I love canning pickles and jams. I tap maple trees in the spring and make maple syrup. A couple of years ago, we started tapping trees right here at Blodgett Cemetery. We were able to boil that sap and do a mini unit. I also like to go to estate sales, flea markets, and yard sales. I like to treasure hunt, as I call it. I also love spending time at the ocean, fishing, and just being outside.
Q: For someone who is looking to get into teaching, what type of advice would you give them?
A: Keep an open mind, stay positive, and know that no two days are the same. You can come into school one day and have the worst day of your professional career with academic, student, and family challenges. But then you could come in the next day and have the best day in your professional career. Just be resilient and stay positive. Also, ask for help. This isn’t a profession that can be done by yourself. We lean on each other a lot, and it becomes really challenging when you shut the door and try to do it all on your own. If you like working with people and you like watching students grow, I’d say give it a shot.
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