On a bright Wednesday morning, history teacher Brian Goeselt walked into his D-Block Modern World History class with a big smile and a positive attitude. As soon as he started teaching, class chatter died down and all eyes turned toward him, students captivated by one of Goeselt’s many engaging lessons.
Goeselt shares his love of history with his students in every lesson. His passion for the content he teaches is strong enough to be felt throughout the classroom, making him both a fun and effective teacher.
“Mr. Goeselt gives a lot of support to me,” said junior Parker Durken. “He is very understanding and pushes his students to do their very best.”
As the class continued, Goeselt created a safe and comfortable learning environment through his use of a familiar routine. He lectured for about 15 minutes, then played a video, and concluded the class with group work time. His enthusiasm for history never faltered.
Growing up in Wayland, Massachusetts, Goeselt always knew he loved history. As a child, he was fascinated with military history because of his father’s military background. After graduating from Dartmouth with a degree in history in 1982, he joined the military and served for four years.
“I loved my service. It totally influenced me into becoming a history teacher much later,” said Goeselt.
After his four years spent serving, Goeselt returned to Massachusetts, this time to Boston College to get his degree in Business Administration. With this degree, he went on to help develop and promote many beloved, well-known snacks, such as Craisins and Pringles, as well as market household brands such as Tide and Joy.
Despite his success in business, Goeselt did not feel fulfilled by his career.
“I felt like something was missing with my time in the private sector and that was a real sense of purpose,” said Goeselt. “When you are teaching you always know who you are there for, and it is the kids, and I really had not felt that since the military,” he added.
Goeselt said that the events of Sept. 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers in New York City were destroyed by Al-Qaeda militants further drove his need to serve a greater purpose. He returned to Boston College in 2002 to pursue a degree in teaching.
“I was sad, and my solution was to do something to improve my community as a whole,” said Goeselt.
Goeselt began working at North in 2002. He spent his first semester observing teachers, then worked as a classroom student teacher in his second semester. In 2004, after graduating from Boston College, he became a full-time teacher.
Now, after 22 years at North, Goeselt maintains the same passion for teaching that brought him to it.
“He works hard to ensure that all students can succeed. I’ve shared a WIN block room with him and it’s a hub of activity,” said History Department Head Gregory Drake. “He manages dozens of students taking various test retakes and sits with students to carefully read through their work and make sure they understand how to improve. He is always willing to think about how to improve his teaching, our department, and the school.”
Goeselt’s teaching skills over the years have granted him an outstanding reputation with students.
“When I got my schedule for junior year, I was sad that Mr. Goeselt wasn’t my teacher because he believed in me so much and wanted the best for me,” said junior Audrey Govignon.
According to Goeselt, success does not simply mean that his students are getting As, but rather that they understand the meaning of history and are invested in his lessons.
“He has been a mentor to many of us in the department. He is brilliant, extremely knowledgeable, and also very good with students,” said history teacher David Bedar. “He has taught basically everything and a lot of us use his material, and he has been a great mentor and friend over the years.”
Drake said, “Mr. Goeselt is always thinking about teaching and continues to be fascinated by history, taking advantage of every professional development opportunity that comes his way.”
Faculty outside of the history department also admire and appreciate Goeselt.
“I know that when my students have Mr. Goeselt as a teacher they are in good hands,” said Melynda Meszko-Cameron, an academic support teacher. “He does everything he can to support and work with students of all needs and levels. I know they will be challenged and supported at the same time.”
