Teacher Feature: Mr. Zack Herhold

Currently in his eleventh year at Saint Francis, Mr. Zack Herhold is known by students for his enthusiasm and love for history. He currently teaches Economics and AP World History. In the past, he has taught US Government, World History, and Global Citizenship. He co-moderates the Model UN team and is the JV Boys’ Cross Country coach. He used to be the assistant activities director and has worked with many student clubs on campus.

The Lancer: What was your experience like as a student in high school and college?

Mr. Zack Herhold: It’s so funny, I was actually just talking about this with my students recently. I’m one of those annoying people that knew what I wanted to do when I was pretty young, and the reason for that is because in high school, I had four amazing history teachers in a row. I loved the classes and could not get enough of it. I sort of decided there that I wanted to study history and become a history teacher. Afterwards, I went to Boston College and transferred to the school of education as a freshman. I studied both history and secondary education.

TL: Where did you go to high school?

ZH: [stammers] I went… you probably won’t have heard of it. It’s a small school in San Jose. I went to Bellarmine.

TL: What makes Saint Francis special to you as an educator, and how do you think that reflects in students’ experiences?

ZH: Ooh, that’s a good question. One thing I really like about Saint Francis is, in general, you guys like your high school. You don’t always realize that that can sometimes be quite rare. A lot of students feel obligated to go to school and suffer as a result. I think that because of the environment Saint Francis has created and because you guys choose to come here, students are motivated, like their school, and like their peers. Our campus is a happier place as a result. That means I can have fun in class by getting to know students, talk to them about what’s going on on campus, and they’ll be excited about it. It means that hopefully you guys have a well-rounded experience because you are motivated to participate in clubs and sports.

TL: What is the most rewarding and most taxing part of your job?

ZH: The most rewarding part of my job is the moments when students linger behind or ask about a concept in class, or in collaboration, and you get the opportunity to change students’ thinking. Students will tell you that they want to study a subject and as a teacher, you can ask questions and tell a student what their skills are, that they might not have realized before. You can give students advice and guidance at a really cool age in their adolescence. I’ve enjoyed that in the classroom and in cross country. One of the taxing parts of the job, I’m sure you’ve heard this answer, is grading. It takes a lot of time. I actually don’t mind the grading, I just wish I had 28-hour days.

TL: What is your teaching philosophy and how do you exemplify it in the classroom?

ZH: Every year as a teacher, you evaluate new goals and sometimes can lose sight of why you’re doing it and what’s going on. Fundamentally, my teaching philosophy, and I say this most years, is I want students to like history more when they leave my class—at the end of the semester or year—than when they entered it. There’s not a lot of lucrative work in history, and I think that for that reason, students won’t choose to become professional historians, which is a bummer, by the way. But, I think that history is something that we can all benefit from learning and is something that a lot of people will enjoy learning independently. If I can foster an interest in history, even if I do not cover everything, hopefully students will continue to learn more about it once they leave my classroom and our campus. I just want you to like history.

TL: What advice do you have for students who are struggling at Saint Francis, either academically or socially?

ZH: The first thing I would start with is sleep. I think that a lot of times when students struggle academically, they think that they need to stay up later to study and do homework. What ends up happening is that they end up struggling more, because they’re not getting that recovery, the cognitive reset that comes from sleep. I believe that, if you are struggling, you should commit yourself to more sleep, which I know sounds ironic, but it makes your homework more efficient. It means you actually retain more of the information that you hear in class. You’re not dozing off. It saves you time. Trying to persuade students to sleep more is really difficult. The other thing is to come and see your teachers in collab. You just asked me what my favorite part of teaching is. It’s having those conversations and collab. Teaching thirty kids simultaneously is a great way to deliver information, but it is not a good way to connect with individuals. If you are struggling with material, it is because of your individual approach. If you come and talk to me, then I can tailor your approach. A lot of students will come to collab when they need something, like revisions, but they should just come to collab.

TL: What are some of your hobbies outside of the classroom?

ZH: I coach cross country. I’m a pretty avid runner. I love to run and will occasionally sign up for races to try to improve my own times. I’m also a pretty big bicyclist. I love to ride my bike, and I have taken a couple trips over the summer with my bicycle. It’s one of my favorite things to do. And that last thing is, I’m a diehard San Jose Sharks fan. I follow them and if and when I can, I go to Sharks games. Skye, what year are you? 

TL: Junior.

ZH: Maybe in a couple years, we are going to have a Stanley Cup. Maybe by the time you’re graduating, we’ll make the playoffs again. That would be great.

TL: I believe it. Now we have some lightning-round questions. What is your favorite book?

ZH: Ooh, oh my gosh, I really love a book called Shadow Divers by an author named Robert Kurson. It’s about deep sea scuba divers that found a U-boat off the coast of New Jersey and they couldn’t answer the question of where it had come from. It is a phenomenal, nonfiction mystery.

TL: What is the most interesting country that you’ve ever visited? 

ZH: Just this summer, I went to Vietnam. It was the place that was most different from what I’ve become accustomed to here in the United States. We stayed in Hanoi in this market street and you would walk around in this busy market area [gesturing wildly], and they had whole stores that were set up for one product. It would be like the hammer store that sold one hammer. It was interesting because we’re used to huge hardware stores. So the most interesting and unique [country outside] from the United States was Vietnam. 

TL:  Out of all your funky socks, which is your favorite?

ZH: Oh my gosh! Thanks for noticing! Two come to mind. I have socks that have balloons on them, and I try to wear them to events, like weddings, where I am celebrating. I’ve actually worn them so much that the elastic is stretching. And then I have Diet Coke socks that are a personal preference.

TL: Do you have any funky socks that you plan to wear for your wedding?

ZH: No. When you plan a wedding, there’s like a hundred questions you have to answer, but I remembered that question. I have to be intentional about my funky socks, so I added it to a list of questions that will be answered. I probably won’t get to it for a couple of months. 

TL: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

ZH: I would love the ability to teleport. I really like to travel, it’s something that I’m passionate about as a world history teacher. It allows me to tell more engaging stories, but traveling itself and getting around is really difficult. If I could snap my fingers and be in Berlin, that would be really cool.

TL: What are three words you would use to convince students to take your classes?

ZH: Hopefully, students are having fun. So, let’s start with fun. I’ll use engaging; maybe that’s an aspiration. I want students to be engaged, and that is partially my responsibility, but if they buy in, hopefully it is an engaging class. Last, I want to use the word challenge. I don’t think the classes you take on campus should necessarily be easy. I don’t think you learn or grow a lot when things are easy. I want to elevate student experiences and give them a little bit of a challenge. Hopefully, the fun and engagement make up for the difficulty.

TL: What is the best piece of advice someone has ever given you?

ZH: I remember when I was a senior in high school, a high school that we don’t need to name here, the principal of the school gave a speech. At that point, it was 2009, there was a financial recession and we thought things in America were bleak. Unfortunately, it feels as bleak and stressful now. You are graduating in stressful times in American history. The principal said this is going on, this is going on, and this is a challenge you are going to face. Then, he said this profound statement. He said, that’s reality. Period. Do you give up or does that motivate you? That has always stuck with me. You are very likely going to encounter challenges in your life and you have to ask that question every time.

Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.