NORWICH – A teacher’s legacy is not made up of what courses they taught or the amount of years they were employed, but of what kind of teacher they were and what lessons their pupils carry with them into adulthood.
Rick Marchant has provided 30 years of service to the Norwich City School art department and says being inspired is something that may not be as easy once he retires. He says he has seen a lot of change throughout his three decades, and he loves what he does now as much as he did his first day back in 1976.
Marchant started coaching girls swimming 30 years ago and can still remember the final score at the end of the ‘76 season. He coached the team at the YMCA because the pool located in the high school was not even complete yet.
“The girls had a one in nine record the first year, and they were so excited about the new pool in 1977, they won the section championships for the next five years in a row,” Marchant said.
Along with coaching, Marchant was hired on to be the one and only art teacher employed at the high school. Entering his bare classroom three decades ago, Marchant started his journey – a journey that would take him through some significant changes but never remove him from his # 30 classroom. Not only has he been in the same building working for the same district, but he has also been in the same classroom for all 30 years.
Entering into his last year at the school, Marchant reflects that the art program has been redesigned to accommodate the needs of the growing population of students, and he is honored that he was part of the process.
“We now have three teachers ,and each teacher can specialize in their field of expertise,” Marchant said. “ I am responsible for introducing, I think, all or most of the programs the high school offers.”
Marchant says the stark, bare room in which students learned the art of textiles and fabric design decades ago has changed significantly, but the kids are generally the same.
He says that the best part of teaching has been that he truly enjoys the children. He says his only regret may be that there have been some students he couldn’t connect with or truly inspire.
Focusing not only on the final result but enjoying the process of getting there is what he tries to instill into all of his students, not only regarding art, but regarding life as well.
“I hope to inspire the kids I teach, and in return they inspire me, not only to keep doing art, but also to keep active in swimming and other aspects of my life,” Marchant said.
Taking the memorabilia off his shelves may be one of the hardest parts of his impending retirement, but it’s a good way to reminisce, he says.
Marchant says he prides himself on teaching traditional art in his introductory art course such as oil painting and drawing.
“Students often need to gain confidence in themselves before they can put themselves into their work,” Marchant said. “We have had some very talented students throughout the years at this school.”
While he will miss his days at school, Marchant says he wants to take some time to relax, possibly travel, and try to keep getting inspired the way the students used to inspire him.