Mr. Andrew Hart, a lifetime Florida local, now settles down into his new permanent setting, classroom 204 in Shultz Hall. After spending his life living and travelling around all of Florida, Hart is thrilled to call Bolles his new home.
Hart started his academic career originally working in politics. He never thought of teaching as a career path until attending graduate school where he discovered his passion.
“Teaching was something that I found really enjoyable. I’ve always been passionate about history, but that time period was when I realized that I really enjoyed the profession and found it worthwhile,” he said.
He is enthusiastic about government and history, and teaching it to others to be more than what they think of it as a subject. “I’m really passionate about students finding a new appreciation for history, other than it just being facts and dates,” he says.
In his past academic career, Hart did his undergrad at the University of Florida, where he studied history and political science, then went to grad school at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, and studied history with concentration in regional history of Florida and the South.
Growing up, Hart was an avid swimmer and still enjoys swimming today. “I swam competitively since elementary school and all throughout high school.” He even raced against Bolles in various meets. “I also swam on the club team in college for UF, and that was how I met my wife,” said Hart. Sports, and swimming in particular, continue to be a major part of his life.
Hart participated in many other activities during school. “I was involved in the Interact Club during high school, and I was a part of the student government in high school and in college,” he said.
Outside of the classroom, Mr. Hart loves to “spend time outdoors, go fishing, go swimming, read some, and hang out with my family.” He has also recently begun running, and now competes in 5K’s (3.1 miles), and half marathons. “I just raced my first marathon, and plan on running another,” he said.
“I really enjoy watching the progression and growth of the students through their academic journeys and seeing how that influences what they want to do in life,” Hart recalls as being his favorite part about teaching. This, as well as the well earned holiday breaks that he gets off.
Hart finds the reason for his love for teaching in seeing what the students hope and plan to do with what they learn in the classroom, and how that influences what they want to do tomorrow and in their career. “After all, they all are going to be the future leaders, and movers, and shakers of our society, so it is just interesting to see how that is going to play out,” he said.
Hart does not like to be presumptive, but after careful consideration, he says that if he had to choose three words to describe his personality and his teaching environment, they would be “enthusiastic, friendly, and witty.”
