About Mr.
Ewart
I have been a part of the
Oakland Mills community since 1972. My
connections with the area include school experiences at Steven’s Forest
Elementary, Oakland Mills Middle and then at
I am currently in my 17th
year of teaching social studies in Howard County and have sponsored a class (Go
Class of 2000!) and coached a combined 22 teams in baseball and
volleyball. I recall when Sewell’s
Orchard was…well an orchard and not a development! I remember when we had a
local model airplane field - it is the Target now! I also am at the age when my fellow graduates
from OM have their children sitting in front of me in classes.
Personally, I have been
married for 21 years and have 3 kids that keep me very busy. You might notice I like professional sports
(Go O’s and … yes…COWBOYS!)! I am really
involved in spending time with my own children which includes basically a lot
of chlorine air from pools. My kids swim competitively all year and you may
hear me mention that at sometime. I love to watch movies of almost any kind and
most of my television viewing involves the Discovery Channel as I log time in
with Mythbusters, Cash Cab and Deadliest Catch but recently I have been hooked into what is inside
Storage Wars. I do also watch some of
the CSI and Law and Order shows too. The best book I read in the last year was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand – an impossibly
TRUE story - and my favorite book of all time is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas because it simply has
everything you could want from a great book!
After students first found
this “boring” page about me, they convinced me that I should update my page
each year with more important information. Of course they wanted a part of that
input. So now, each year, I select several student questions from their final
exams and I answer them on the next year’s “about me” page. Here they are…with my answers for this year
and years past:
Question: Will you become
a fan of Toddlers and Tiaras?
Definitely not. It is a sad world where we do this to
kids to give them “confidence”… Flipper anyone?
Question: Which of the
European Countries is your favorite?
As a vacation spot I would say Venice, Italy.
As a tourist spot, I would go with Paris, France. As a spot where I would want to
live, I would have to say England.
Question: Who will win
the next presidential election (2012)?
Great question...
tough answer. Elections
are, in a sense, like any sporting event and therefore just as unpredictable.
In short though, the incumbent (Obama) has an
advantage and should win generally. Factors that could change this include the
economic status of the country, war status and of course any kind of scandal.
It should be an interesting election cycle.
Question: Are you going to miss the American Government HSA now that the state has stopped testing it
?
Absolutely not. Now we can focus on the material for
the course instead of how to beat a test question with confusing vocabulary.
Question: Do you like the American Government HSA
?
Hmmm… I think anyone that knows me and the
way I teach a class realizes that tests like this are certainly not on my
favorites list of things to do. I do like this subject a lot however and
believe it is completely relevant to what teenagers need to know before they
enter the “real world.” The processes
involved in how a law is made, understanding the basics of how our own system
of government has evolved, tracking current issues and their relevance today,
knowing what investment opportunities are available and the basics of business
structure in this country are in fact valuable pieces to add to a person’s
growth and maturity. On the other hand the federal government, state government
and county government are all in agreement that this test is a legitimate and
vital piece of what a student should know prior to graduation. And I am
competitive enough to recognize what falling short of our goal means…and won’t
let it happen. (p.s. on an added note: every single student in my classes
passed the Government HSA last year – great job guys!)
Question: What is your
favorite all –time music artist(s)?
I would probably have to say it is
between Billy Joel, R.E.M. and U2 but I like a lot of artists and genres
through many decades. I like to listen to classic jazz when I am trying to
think because it doesn’t have lyrics and so it isn’t distracting. I usually
scan through the stations in my car so I listen to anything from the 50’s to
current songs. My 3 kids help keep me up to date on current music and enjoy
laughing when I get the lyrics wrong – which is quite often. Good news for
everyone though - I do limit my singing to the car because it would officially
be considered torture by the United Nations!
Question: What do you do
in the summer with your spare time?
Well, I spend a lot of time with my kids and their swim teams at pools in the
area. But the real reason this student asked the question was because he wanted
me to tell you all what I do in addition to that. Most teachers, without a job
in the summer and time to spare, do find some other way to earn a few extra
spending dollars. And like many, I have done quite a few things over the years.
In the last 2 years I have opened my own snack bar at my local pool and run it
as my family business. I get to interact with the people in my community and I
make a little money too. It has been an interesting experiment in owning a
small business.
Question: Which Sailor
Moon Character is your favorite?
Well, thanks to an introduction to one
of the “best shows ever” this past year I have learned about this group of
magical girls from the Japanese cartoon/manja/anime series. It is very
difficult indeed to choose from among the wonderfully complex literary giants
presented in the series. But alas, I must pick one: Sailor Chibi Moon is my favorite because she can travel through
time and respects her mother. While I appreciated the introduction, and
especially the personalities and enthusiasm of the young ladies in that class,
I will likely miss future episodes due to … something or other. J
Question: Why do you
teach this stuff?
I enjoy the subjects I teach because
they are inherently connected to the world around us. My hope is that you are able to make these
connections as we progress through the school year. I like to think we have some fun during the
year with a few stories here and there!
Question: Why do you
think people are apathetic when it comes to voting?
Great question! I think that sometimes people feel the issues
surrounding us are too big and that they are too small. They use the common excuse they “one vote
won’t matter anyway.” I have to agree,
mathematically, but disagree wholeheartedly with the excuse. The right to express your opinion has been
hard earned by countless famous names and even more we don’t even know. If you voice your opinion (appropriately!)
you have the ultimate ammunition if things don’t go your way: the old “I told
you so!”
Question: Why did you
decide to teach here?
Well, quite frankly I had no intention
to do so when I was your age. I
distinctly remember telling my senior year teacher that “someone would have to
be crazy to teach high school.” After
college and a few years in the retail and mortgage industries, I went back to
school to be certified as a teacher. I
ended up at OMHS really as a combination of interesting coincidences. It turns out that that same teacher I had in
my senior year decided I should be here in the end! (Seriously, this is a true story – you can
ask him – he still teaches next to me!)
Question: Why do like the
The simple answer is that I was
influenced by my big brother (who is a big Cowboys fan) and all of the whining
fans of other teams that didn’t like the Cowboys. What can I say – I went against the grain
even as an 8 year old. On the other
hand, I think I’ve enjoyed more seasons than most! J
I will ask for next year’s input
questions on your final exams in June!
Will it be yours?