Meet Mr. Bradley Samore, the new eleventh grade English and IB Language and Literature teacher. He moved to North Carolina from Florida, where he says racism and rude people live. In this aspect, it took him a while to like the state he was born in. After graduating college, Mr. Samore found it difficult to find a career to stick with because he did not feel strongly about anything he was doing. Eventually, with a degree in International Relations, he decided to teach in Spain for nine months. Along with teaching, he took the time to coach girl’s basketball. Mr. Samore also visited India for two weeks where he lived with the Guru of the town and experienced a new way of life.

 When thinking about jobs, Mr. Samore found that he does not like to sit and stare at a computer screen. In time, he found that he is inspired to teach because it is a varied job, and he enjoys the person to person interaction. Mr. Samore explains that he tries to make classes fun, but in a structured way. He elaborated by reciting a quote that his father shared with him; “If you’re not going to make the class fun, they’ll find some way to have fun even if it gets them in trouble.” Mr. Samore believes that the class should be made enjoyable in some aspect, but sometimes you have to be strict with the students who are not concerned with school. “As a teacher, we should not be so quick to share our opinions but sit back and listen to the student vent, and to just provide and be a listener for them.,” Mr. Samore expressed.

 In just a few weeks, this new teacher has formed strong relationships with his students. Mr. Samore does not see himself as a teacher who bestows wisdom on his students, but more so to guide them to find their own wisdom. “He forms strong relationships with his students and shows that he cares about them as people,” shares junior Kamara Culbreath. Mr. Samore’s teaching is thoughtful and goes farther than lecturing because he feels as though it does not benefit the students in any aspect. He believes in being hands-on in his lessons so as to ensure that the students are retaining what he is teaching. Another one of Samore’s IB junior students, Samara Demary, explains that, “He goes into depth really well with what he talks about and is great at explaining what’s going on.”

 Mr. Samore is also the new advisor for the Poetry Club. He plans to break the stereotypes of Poetry Club such as the usual teenage poems about depression and relationships. His aspirations are to not just have poets, but anybody that works with words, such as rappers, songwriters, and playwrights. The club is not just for writing poetry, but is also for offering direct, but polite critique and sharing creativity. Despite being called Poetry Club, Mr. Samore encourages students to join even if they just want to sit and listen. The aspect of the club is for students to share their work and everyone comes together to improve upon it.