At the end of this semester, AP U.S. History teacher Douglas McGlashan and Spanish teacher Martha Rubinson will retire after a combined 75 semesters of teaching at Aragon.
Though well known as a teacher, McGlashan actually worked in a very different profession prior to coming to Aragon; he was a lawyer. After leaving his law firm, McGlashan looked for a job in teaching. McGlashan says, “I just knew I wanted to teach. I was willing to teach anything.”
Right when McGlashan was looking for a position as a teacher, a history teacher at Aragon had been planning to leave permanently during second semester, which opened a monumental opportunity for McGlashan. McGlashan says, “It was like being asked, ‘Do you want to go to heaven?’” In less than a year, McGlashan went from being a senior partner at his law firm to starting second semester as a teacher.
McGlashan has several reasons for retiring after 23 semesters of teaching. He says, “I’d like to wake up in the morning and think what I want to do.” He cites freedom and travelling as other reasons. McGlashan says his time will be split up primarily between reading, bicycling, and travelling.
Of his teaching experience, McGlashan says he will miss students the most. McGlashan is remembered by students to be a big fan of Aragon programs. Whether it is a musical, a basketball game, or an orchestra concert, McGlashan was always a likely spectator. Senior Kenny Lin says, “I love how [McGlashan] is always very school spirited and attends as many sporting events as he can. He is always there with an Aragon flag or some Aragon sporting apparel.”
McGlashan also says, “I will miss teachers in the English and social studies department. They are a group that is dedicated and proud of what they do.”
To McGlashan, the classroom is a unique setting. He says, “It is common to feel more energized at the end of the day than the beginning.”
Lin says, “I’m going to miss his famous classroom stance, his very colorful choice of words, and the fact he expected a lot from his students while giving them the necessary resources to meet his expectations.”
Prior to teaching at Aragon, Rubsinson had worked at Mills teaching English, English as a second language, French, and Spanish. In 1986, Rubinson began teaching at Aragon, taking the place of a recently retired French and Latin teacher.
Rubinson has been teaching Spanish at Aragon under a program that allows a teacher to teach less than five periods while holding the benefits of a full-time teacher. The program requires teachers to retire at the end of their five years under it. Rubinson says, “I was surprised by how fast the five years [passed].” With the end of her Aragon career, Rubinson has plans to travel, starting with a trip to Namibia in August.
Though Rubinson has many positive memories of Aragon, several stand out to her most. She says, “One time [I was] leaving campus at lunch and lost track of time and came back late. I thought the classroom would be a pandemonium. [But] when I got back, all the students were sitting at their desks sitting quietly!”
With her Aragon career spanning 26 years, Rubinson remembers the different eras that the school has undergone. She says, “Outside my room was the smoking area. Also, we had an open campus. You could hear the tires squeaking of kids leaving for lunch. Then, although the kids were [still] very motivated, the overall mood [was] lighter.”
Yet, Rubinson recognizes that some aspects of the school have remained constant. “One thing that has remained the same is [the] dedication of students to teachers [and] teachers to students. Students still work well with a very good sense of humor.”
Both the history and foreign language departments have plans following McGlashan and Rubinson’s departures.
History teacher William Colglazier will be the sole APUSH teacher for next year. There are four periods planned for next year, which is the same number that APUSH has this year.
Regarding the impact of her leave on the foreign language department, Rubinson says, “Every department needs to renew itself time to time. Change is the essence of life.”
