Teachers’ Corner

Mr. Dobbie

Mr. Dobbie and his family in Maui this past August. Photo Supplied by: William Dobbie

Binsu Varughese, Reporter, Photographer
January 25, 2017

Known for his dynamic lectures, UAIS Quiz Bowl fanatic, Mr. Dobbie, shares his experiences from high school and college. After graduating from Henry Ford II High School in 1995, Mr. Dobbie attended Eastern Michigan University and received his undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Arts. In 2003, he continued his education at Saginaw Valley State University while majoring in Educational Leadership and receiving a Masters of Arts in Education. Currently, Mr. Dobbie is teaching History related courses at Utica Academy for International Studies while balancing a Quiz Bowl Team.

Interviewer: Choose a quote that best describes your high school/college life and explain why you chose it.

Mr. Dobbie: I read a number of quotes about failure and perseverance. I liked this one the most: “We are all failures- at least the best of us are.” JM Barrie

I absolutely was a ‘failure’ in college, not studying what I ‘wanted’ to study and not doing anything to succeed…so I failed, completely. But, it was that experience of failure that ultimately landed me in the education field (which I love) and helped me, I think, become a FAR better teacher….and probably a better person.

Interviewer: If you could go back in time, would you go back to high school days or college days?

Mr. Dobbie: College, because I messed up in college and didn’t do so well in school. I would want to go back to take more opportunities.

Interviewer: What was your friend group like in high school?

Mr. Dobbie: [I had a] small but close group of friends.

Interviewer: How did it change when in college?

Mr. Dobbie: Even smaller group than high school, but still very close.

Interviewer: Share with me how the following experiences were either similar or different.

Homecoming and/or prom

Mr. Dobbie: I was at home because it was [mandatory] to have a date in order to attend the dance. It was a must. I went to one prom- my senior prom at Ford- and it was fine. In UAIS, all the kids are a close knit group of friends and are more friendly towards each other.

Pep rallies/ Olympics

Mr. Dobbie: Pep rallies were lame. It was mainly just focused on the athletes and didn’t include the entire student body.

Games/ Powderpuff

Mr. Dobbie: The games were fun, I occasionally went.

Interviewer: If you had a job in high school, what was it?

Mr. Dobbie: I worked at a bookstore and continued it throughout high school.

Interviewer: If you had a job in college, what was it?

Mr. Dobbie: Sold knives.

Interviewer: What extracurricular activities did you participate in during high school?

Mr. Dobbie: I was a part of Quiz bowl and ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps)

Interviewer: If you had an opportunity to study at an IB school during high school would you or would you not attend? Why or why not?

Mr. Dobbie: Yes, I would have, it would have been hard and challenging.

Interviewer: What profession would you choose if you were not a teacher?

Mr. Dobbie: I do not know … maybe something in sales, but I also did start electrical engineer[ing] in college.

Interviewer: What made you want to be a teacher?

Mr. Dobbie: Getting kicked out of school.

Interviewer: What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Mr. Dobbie: Just working with kids, sharing, and helping them understand varies things.

Interviewer: What do you find most challenging about teaching?

Mr. Dobbie: Grading papers.

Interviewer: What is your most memorable moment in UAIS?

Mr. Dobbie: It was two years ago roughly [at the] end of the year before seniors [graduated.] [Where the entire student body was] dancing and singing “We are the champions”.

Interviewer: What was one failure that you learned something?

Mr. Dobbie: Dropping out of college. I am a pretty smart person. However, I learned that you can be bright and smart but anything can screw you up. This experience showed me that something else can be going on with a student that is effecting their performance in school. This allowed me to become far more understanding. I would recommend that students ask for help, and take advice.