Next year at FHS, a beloved teacher will be leaving the high school. That beloved teacher is Mr. White; Mr. White is the Behavioral Science and Human Anatomy teacher at the high school and will soon be retiring, much to the sadness of many of his students. He is known to care a lot about his students and part of that stems from his own high school experience at, wait for it….Franklin High School. He is one of the few teachers to really see how Franklin has changed.

I interviewed Mr. White to know more about the FHS veteran and to recognize him for all his contributions to the school and community.

Q: I hear that you attended FHS during your high school years, how have you seen FHS change?

A: “Well one thing to understand is that times were very different back then. I graduated in 1972, a long time ago, and so much change has taken place since then. In the yearbook, there is a picture of me at prom smoking a cigar. Obviously we now know that smoking is incredibly bad for you but back then, it was okay to do. There were actually smoking areas for teachers and students. Yeah, that has to be one of the biggest changes.”

Q: Going off of my previous question, have you seen the attitudes of students, there lifestyle, conversation, or activities change? If so, in what way?

A: “Technology is the biggest impact on students now and is the reason for their change in attitude, and everything else. It is extremely detrimental to kids; they have difficulty interacting with each other & teachers because they are so used to the phone. I first saw the change when it started in about 2008, when the smartphone was released.”

Q: What do you miss most about high school?

A: “Probably hanging out with friends, like most people do. My wife and I are actually a couple from high school; we are what you might call ‘highschool sweethearts’. We still see some friends and stay in touch with people so that’s nice.”

Q: What are some tips you have for Franklin High School students?

A: “Take care of your O’s and R’s; that means be organized and responsible. Do that first before you socialize or fraternize. First do that (the O’s and R’s) and then the fun stuff later.”

Q: What will you miss most about teaching at FHS?

A: The people, it’s a people thing, a people business. I’ll miss when students come back and visit and tell me how I helped them by having high expectations. For most people, high standards is beneficial. If you can be respectful, responsible, and manage your time, you will be okay no matter what field you are in.”

Q:What is your favorite subject to teach (Mr. White teaches Behavior Science and Human Anatomy)?

A: “I like them both; they have different upsides and downsides…I do enjoy teaching them both.”

Q: What are you looking forward to in the future and post-retirement?

A: “Spending time with my wife, family, and kids. I’m hoping to have grandkids someday…looking forward to that. That would be awesome to have.”

Whatever Mr.White looks forward to after the year, we wish him the best. A student and teacher can both see how much he cares about his students, FHS, and how passionate he is about his subjects. Mr.White has been so impactful on the high school and is loved by the whole community. We’ll miss you, Mr.White!