During cross country practice, social studies teacher and assistant coach Brent Wildhaber races against freshman Emma Smout on a unicycle.
Getting to know social studies teacher Brent Wildhaber
What classes do you teach?
“I teach one section of world history and four sections of modern U.S. history.”
What got you interested in teaching?
“A couple things: I love history. I love studying history, reading history and looking at historical documents. Second part is that I love working with young adults. In college, I volunteered at a preschool and realized I liked working with older people rather than 5-year-olds. I like being a part of students’ learning experiences and getting them excited about history as well.”
Is this your first year teaching?
“No, this is my fourth year teaching. I taught for three years at Oakville High School.”
Is there any reason you switched to West?
“I had known Mr. Nalbandian before, him and I are good friends. He let me know about the job, and I moved up here.”
If you could teach another subject, what subject would it be and why?
“It would be English or a literature class. I love to read, and I love classic novels.”
What are you most excited for about your class and this year?
“Just getting to know Parkway West, the students and other faculty. It is a learning experience [for] me. I love getting involved with extracurricular activities and clubs, so just getting involved as much as possible with students outside of school.”
What is your favorite thing about West?
“The students generally seem very excited about being at West, and they seem much more supportive of outside clubs and athletics, which I enjoy as well.”
What is one fun fact you want your students to know about you?
“I can ride a unicycle. No tightrope, but just riding around.”
How would you like students to see you?
“I want them to see me as a role model. With their education, I want them to see how I like to continue to learn and continue my education, and I want them to do the same. Involvement with things outside of the classroom is also very important to me, so I want them to see how I am involved outside of class, and hopefully, they can learn from that and my experiences.”