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Unlike the stereotypically strait-laced and stuffy English teachers, Robert Emerson has seen far beyond the vicinity of the classroom. Before pursuing his teaching career of twenty years and counting, he explored his options, transforming himself over and over again to expand his horizons.
No matter how much wisdom he already possesses, nothing can quench his thirst for knowledge. “Never be too old to learn something new” are the words of wisdom Emerson goes by, and he has certainly lived by this mantra. Among an assortment of other jobs, Emerson worked as a draft counselor during the Vietnam War, did construction work, attended a barber college, ran a hair salon, worked as a paralegal for more than twelve years, gained technical writing experience at an engineering company, delivered lines on the stage and waited tables.
As a college student, Emerson volunteered as a draft counselor to help prospective draftees look at their options to stay out of the Vietnam War during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He became familiar with medical conditions and the network of assistance for those who decided to leave the country.
Feeling the need to acquire further money for college, Emerson worked two summers on a crew installing pools. “I worked for my girlfriend’s father who had a swimming pool company, just to earn college money,” he said.
Years after college and his anti-Vietnam War movement, Emerson chose to work in a hair salon. “I enjoyed cutting hair immensely,” he said. “It was a very creative and social environment.” However, the recession year soon came along, and he began to lose profits. Fortunately in 1983, he was offered the opportunity to work as a paralegal for two firms. The work was challenging, but it proved beneficial in the long run. “I liked the high level of responsibility,” he said. Although working in the law firm was demanding, his perseverance helped him persist with cutting hair on weekends and some weekday evenings concurrently until about 1990.
To get away from the seriousness of the work he encountered in the law firm, he took a break one summer, waiting tables at a nightclub in Daytona Beach. “It was a lot of fun, like an extended vacation,” he said. “But it was never intended to be more than that.”
His prior work experience has helped him become an effective teacher. “Going into law actually helped improve my writing skills,” he said. Although he was excited about working at a firm, passion proved to be more valuable than money, and he traded in his office for the classroom.
The job-hopping ceased when he ultimately decided to launch his career in teaching English. After all that he had experienced, some would think settling down to such a safe job would be a mistake, but Emerson knew what he had gotten himself into. “I really don’t have complaints about anything,” he said.
Emerson drew inspiration from his mother who was an elementary schoolteacher, his storytelling grandfather, and his high school drama teacher. “When I was growing up, my mom was a teacher,” he said. “I always watched her grade papers.” Although he initially minored in English and majored in political science instead, he later decided to get an English-teaching credential.
After teaching English courses at Burton and Galileo High School and long-term substituting at Luther Burbank and James Denman Middle School, Emerson decided to teach in another setting. “I needed to kind of reinvent myself,” he said. “I needed to grow intellectually, so that was a big reason why I decided to come to Lowell.” Since his first day teaching at the school, he has had refreshing and stimulating conversations with Lowellites on a daily basis.
Emerson occasionally abandons intellectual conversations to reveal his quirkier side. “I make a lot of stupid elephant jokes,” he said. However, chances are slim that he will quit his job to become a professional comedian.
His interests extend beyond jokes. “When I was young I was a boy soprano, but then my voice changed,” he said. “That ended my singing career.” Though Emerson does not sing at his church choir anymore, that certainly does not mean he has too much time on his hands. When he is not grading papers, he likes to devote his time to gardening, designing sets for his community theater, refurbishing his 100-year-old cottage house and walking his two dogs, Penny and Felix.
Emerson also enjoys steamed okra with vinegar and salt, English teacher Bryan Ritter's barbeque shrimp, and macaroni and cheese. “If I’m ever going to be executed, I’d ask for macaroni and cheese for my last meal,” he said. “Pretty simple thing to prepare.”
While his execution is not likely to take place any time soon, 62-year-old Emerson acknowledges the need to contemplate arrangements for retirement, with the clock constantly ticking. When the time comes, the self-proclaimed math-inept Emerson plans to return to school in his home state, Indiana, to study mathematics and history “just for the fun of it.” Not far from the top of his list is to travel to Alaska, Italy and around the British Isles.
But for now, Emerson is here to stay. “Every single morning, I look forward to coming to work,” he said. “I'm very excited about being here.”
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