“Being a teacher, a coach, and a parent makes my life busy while meaningful,” says Todd Bucklin, the new ELL chair and Assistant Boys’ Soccer Coach. Bucklin has embraced his life here so far and is looking forward to having a great experience with his students. The Magnet sat down with him to hear his impressions of MacDuffie.

Q: What courses do you teach?

A: I teach one class of ELL IV, all ELL III, and one ELL II: Reading and Writing.

Q: How many students do you have, approximately?

A: I have about 60 students in total.

Q: Where did you work previously before joining MacDuffie?

A: I worked at The Winchendon School for seven years before joining MacDuffie..

Q: What aspects of MacDuffie appealed to you when you were considering coming here?

A: I like the how diverse the school is. In addition, MacDuffie is in the 5 college area, which is an area that I favor. Moreover, the curriculum here is challenging. Furthermore, MacDuffie is also a school which is good at sports and in the arts.

Q: How have you managed your first weeks working with the students and the faculty?

A: Because they are all new to me, there are a lot of names that I need to remember. Sometimes I need to remember their nicknames or their family names, and this makes the whole thing even harder. On the other hand, the students and the faculty members are really friendly. The students show interest in learning, and I can tell that they enjoy learning.

Q: What will you do if you find that someone is always quiet in class?

A: Firstly, I expect all students to participate in my class. Secondly, I’ll make sure the students understand what I am talking about by asking them questions during the class. Thirdly, sometimes I’ll pick on students to answer the questions if they often remain quiet.

Q: How do you feel about MacDuffie so far?

A: I like MacDuffie very much. It’s a busy school. Other than teaching English, I am also the assistant coach of the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team and a parent of two students here at MacDuffie.

Q: Do you have any suggestions to improve MacDuffie?

A: Sometimes it’s really hot in the dorm rooms, so I would say that having air conditioners is a wise improvement. In addition, it would be better to have a scoreboard out on the soccer fields.

Q: Do you have anything else to add?

A: I’m really excited right now, and I’m looking forward to seeing my kids grow up as part of the MacDuffie community.