Spring — 2005

Barrett Blake

Teaching

“Mr. Meeks in English is a great teacher. He really gets students involved and captures our attention completely.”

He was in his first semester at SMC after a 10-year ‘vacation’ from learning. So there was bound to be a period of adjustment for Barrett Blake. “Yeah, I was in the Army for four years, including a year in Korea, where we were working 20-hour days, seven days a week. Then I followed that up by doing three years of office work, and I just decided it was time to do something with my life. I’m looking for something purposeful,” says Barrett, who’s attending SMC on the GI Bill, “and I just think that being a teacher is a great way to contribute to other people’s lives.”

Barrett adds, “I think those four years in the Army did me a lot of good. They gave me a lot of structure and a lot of good attributes, like being honest and motivated, and learning to deal with a lot of difficult situations. And now, being just a little older than most here,” he says with laugh, “I’m more focused on what I need to accomplish. And I turn that homework in on time! The Army made me a much more responsible person.” And one area of his life that Barrett is taking responsibility for is coming into focus through a 12-step program that meets on the SMC campus.

“I got a little rebellious toward the end of my Army career, and I had a lot of issues and anger,” he says. “I didn’t have much focus, so I used drinking and drugs to make myself feel better as a person. And when you do that, it just makes all your problems worse. So I’m living a much better—and sober!—life now. And you know,” Barrett says reflectively, “everybody at SMC has problems once in a while. And the last thing you want to do is be embarrassed about asking for help.”

Back