Jim Watkins, a favorite East High Teacher,
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Jim Watkins has been a Health Educator at Corning East High School for 32 years. Before coming to East, Jim taught in Maryland for two years.
His successful teaching career can be credited to his philosophy with teaching. His philosophy: Treat each student with respect and as individuals. Don't show favoritism. Be as mentally and physically up for each class as you can be. Always dress neatly and present a positive image for kids. Have a wealth of knowledge available for kids to learn from. Be prepared for class each day. Teaching is acting -- you have to be a good actor to be a good teacher. Make sure you know your lines well each day. Don't expect your students to do what you cannot do. Always give each student the opportunity to achieve at his/her highest level even if it means retesting and retesting. Be firm and be fair. On the spot discipline is very important. Don't allow any student to be disruptive and thus lose the whole class. Treat students with special prizes (like a trip to Pizza Hut for lunch) when they excel or have exemplary behavior or are great kids. Always say great job on papers when they have performed well. He always said: "I'm the Man; I'm the Boss in my room, yet you cannot fail my course if you really try." Although he has received no special teaching honors at East High School, he has many, many memories. He said, "It has been my honor to have taught mostly terrific kids at East. I have never had a bad class." On a personal note, receiving his Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science from the University of Maryland College were great honors for him, especially since his Mom and Dad only finished the sixth grade level. Four years of Varsity Baseball Division I at Maryland was an awesome experience for him, including the awards and friendly competitors. He expressed that being a golf professional from 1969 to 1989, playing in tournaments on the East Coast (winning some), plus teaching and coaching his son Arnie and daughters Allison and Linda were great fun. As a matter of fact, Arnie and Allison both played Division 1 college golf. Coaching Corning East Golf from 1966-73 was great fun for him, especially the Sectional Championship Team of 1969. This June Jim will be retiring after 32 years of service to the Corning-Painted Post School District. Jim's retirement plans are: visiting his beautiful children (all college graduates), playing a lot of golf, playing senior golf tournaments in Florida during the winter months; fishing; and hopefully meeting a women who loves fishing and golf to share the rest of their lives together. Interviewed by Internet Committee of CPPHSAA |