If you’ve ever walked past Room 213, chances are you’ve heard a voice say “you’re awesome” or asking a student if they’re happy. That recognizable voice is the one and only First Sergeant Todd Sams. Sams is a history teacher who has been teaching for 34 years and has taught many classes through the years, including 7th Grade World History, Rock n’ Roll History, World War II History, Ancient World Religions, and American Government, as well as coaching multiple sports such as golf and soccer. Unfortunately for us (fortunately for him though!) Sams is retiring this year. Instead of retiring in May, he’s leaving in February.
Sams first began teaching 34 years ago at William Henry Harrison Junior High, where he taught history. He chose this career because when he was in school, he had great teachers that he wanted to emulate. It was also during his time as a student that he discovered that he had a natural ability to teach others. Sams has known he wanted to be a teacher since at least high school, but it wasn’t his first choice: before that he really wanted to be a cowboy.
Sams’ favorite thing about teaching is simply being able to share his excitement about a topic. I’ve witnessed this firsthand, for example, in Ancient World Religions, Sams was very excited to teach us about Judaism. His excitement shows just how much he cares about what he’s teaching about. However, his least favorite thing is kids that don’t want to learn. Sams wants students to learn and take something from his class, not just try to get a good grade. His favorite class to teach was Rock n’ Roll history, simply because he loves good music too. Sams said that out of everything, he’ll miss the camaraderie the most. For example, he’s been teaching nearly side-by-side to Shawn Sowders for 28 years. Over the years, they’ve gotten to know each incredibly well, and are “thick as thieves” according to Sowders. Another thing he loves about teaching is being able to see what his old students are up to. He’s helped many students get into the military, so he sees them frequently. One of his past students runs an auto body shop and Sams unknowingly took his car in one day and was surprised to see him. However, one of the ways he sees his old students most often is through his job. Several Harrison staff members were once his students, with Ms. Jones, Mr. Niehaus, Ms. Peace, Mr. Banks, Mr. McCurley, and Ms. Holbert being only a few!
What makes Sams different from most teachers? We asked Harrison students for their opinion, and they all had interesting answers. Most students share that Sams cares about what he is teaching, and it’s very easy to tell. Multiple students reported that it wasn’t until they had taken his class that they really cared to learn about history. Many students also said Sams is very chill, but knows when to take things seriously. Just as many students admitted that Sams is easy to talk to and is willing to help students with absolutely anything. Judah Delafield simply put, “He’s Mr. Sams,” and I knew exactly what he meant. And these sentiments ring true. Out of all the teachers I’ve ever had, Sams has been the most passionate, always willing to talk and help, and made me feel like he cared about my life more than any other teacher.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Sams since 7th grade when he taught World History for a few classes. On the very first day, he stood outside the side door to the high school holding the door open and showed some kids to his room. He spent the first day telling us about him and making sure we knew where to go for the rest of the day. Within the first week, he got to know all of our names. Throughout the year, Sams would always ask us how our weekends were, what our plans for breaks were, or what we were having for dinner. Sams really made sure that he got to know each of us on a personal level. On top of that, Sams knew how to entertain us in a subject not everyone would find interesting. When we were studying the medieval period, we watched The Princess Bride and A Knight’s Tale so we could learn while watching great movies. When we studied the Ancient Greeks, Sams had us arrange ourselves into groups to represent the different city-states of Ancient Greece. We simulated the Olympics with different challenges every week or so, like reciting the Greek Alphabet or a Frisbee throwing contest. My group was the city-state Argos, and we may have lost horribly, but we had so much fun, and learned while doing it.
I also interviewed one of Sams’ closest friends, Shawn Sowders, to get an adult’s perspective. When Sams first came to the district, he was the “school computer guy” according to Sowders. They quickly grew close simply due to how easy it is to get along with Sams, not to mention the fact that Sowders knew nothing about computers and Sams knew everything. Throughout the years they taught at the middle and high schools, they ran a mock election together. Classes represented states, students would run for president, and others would be campaign staff. Both Sowders and Sams loved doing it, with Sowders saying that “it was the single greatest project I’ve ever been part of as a teacher, and he and I did for the whole school.” Sowders also said that “Sams has always been the guy you can lean on.” And it truly shows with what both Sowders and Sams said next. They both mentioned how Sams officiated the funeral for Sowders’ father and how he was there for his friend when Sowders’ daughters were born, and the passing of his son.
When he does retire, Sams plans on mostly vacationing. He’ll still have military duty in Fort Knox, but when he’s not there, it’ll be “Vacation, vacation, vacation,” according to Sams. He plans on going to the Smokies, Yellowstone, back to the Smokies, Key West, and countless other places. Wherever he goes, no doubt he’ll make the best of it.
As sad as we are to see him go, it’s safe to say the entirety of Harrison wishes him well. If you want to wish him goodbye, make sure to stop by before February!
