English teacher Adam George received the Brendan Keegan award for excellence in teaching, Tuesday, May 26.
The Keegan award honored George for inspiring students to think “critically and creatively,” and “to consider the significance of their studies to their own lives.”
According to sophomore Maddie Bourque, a student in George’s freshman English class last year, George built a strong and welcoming community in the classroom.
“When we were discussing literature, it always went into more philosophical questions, like how you would follow the themes or messages of a book in your own life,” said Bourque.
“He had a good relationship with each student,” she added. “He was really welcoming and inclusive to everyone, and I felt like you could talk to him openly and freely. It made for a great learning and working environment.”
Sophomore Frannie Oh-Dreher, a student in George’s Action Through Literature class, added, “At the beginning of the year, when something was wrong, I didn’t tell anyone and didn’t do anything. With Mr. George, I’m able to share things in my life that are impacting my learning, and he tries his best to help.”
Students also noted that George supported them and built their confidence in English literacy.
“He inspired me to trust myself in my writing more and allowed me to stop limiting myself to the impossible idea of perfection,” said sophomore Wyatt Nelsen, a student in George’s freshman class last year. “I’ve seen him have the same effect on others, whether through WIN, in class, or with his jokes.”
According to Nelson, he was once stuck on an essay prompt in English class and looked to George for support. “Because I was comfortable with him, I felt like I could ask for help and he stuck with me for each question and roadblock I was facing,” he said.
According to Oh-Dreher, “struggling in the classroom is way more normalized in our class,” which is “very important because it shows he cares, that he wants us to learn to do it ourselves without someone guiding us.”
Bourque added that she “gained more confidence in English, especially with writing timed essays, since that was the first time I did timed essays in a class.”
She added that he was a “positive influence with building confidence in myself and my abilities.”
According to English teacher Peter Goddard, students in George’s English class “are able to look at the world differently than when they came in the room, and that is one of the greatest gifts anybody can give anybody.”
George began teaching at North in 2016, and said that he always wanted to be a teacher.
“I remember loving my teachers in elementary school and thinking they were just amazing individuals who really cared about supporting every student that they had, developing a community, and getting families involved,” George said.
“What I love is that no class has been the same, so it keeps me feeling that this job is new. I never get sick, or tired, or bored of it,” he added.
George currently teaches English 9, Action Through Literature, and Art and Technique in Film. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history at Yale University.
George previously worked in South Korea teaching English as a second language. He later moved back to the United States to earn his master’s degree at Boston University and complete a year of student teaching at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.
George also supports his students in their other extracurriculars. “I try to go see all the plays and go to all the sporting events,” he said.
Goddard added, “[George] also likes seeing students in other contexts, so he goes to games and plays and sees them excel in other places more than just the classroom.”
In addition to teaching, George is an advisor for the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and is involved in Dover Legacy Scholars (DLS).
