By: Lizzy Lavin – 

“Educator” is just one of the many hats that LSE English teacher Sam Segrist wears. In addition to molding young minds since 2007, Segrist also finds time to perform in his two bands, work on his “much-delayed novel”, and write film synopses. Despite his varied interests, Segrist’s career choice was inspired by his 11th-grade U.S. History Class and an outlandish test review.

“When I walked into the classroom, I began pretending to be a military general, pointing out areas of strategic importance on the map. The teacher, a great guy named Mr. Moran, asked if I wanted to lead the class in review for the test. I said ‘sure’ and then made the review one long series of jokes, which were semi-educational and of dubious humor.”

Segrist said the class average was the highest of the semester, which, he credits to the novelty of the review session.

”The experience made me think I might have an aptitude for standing in front of a room of teenagers and hold their attention for a fifty-minute block.”

Growing up, he didn’t always aspire to be a teacher. Video games and movies were what held his attention.

“I hail from Western Nebraska, from the great panhandle metropolis of Scottsbluff,” said Segrist. “I had a quintessential ’80s childhood of playing Nintendo before it was retro, watching scary movies on VHS before I was old enough to properly process them, and remembering the first time I used the internet.”

Even in high school, Segrist was known to be quirky. He loved spreading laughter and confusion throughout his school. On one Friday morning, Segrist and his friends released three pigs from his friend’s farm into his school, each painted with the numbers 1, 2, and 4. This wasn’t the only shenanigan Segrist participated in.

“It was my senior year and homecoming week,” said Segrist. “The school was doing its annual anti-drinking and driving campaign. I decided to help out with this campaign by taking a drop cloth from the art room and pretending to be the Ghost of Future Present or something, wandering from classroom to classroom while eerily chanting in my best spooky voice: ‘Arrive ali-i-i-vvvvve… don’t dr-i-i-nk annnnd dri-i-i-i-vvve.’”

Despite his animated high school antics, there’s one thing he has in common with most people: his parents are his biggest inspiration.

“My parents are undoubtedly the most influential people in my life,” said Segrist. “They provided countless opportunities for me to grow as a person and try a host of activities growing up, never pressuring me too much nor lowering their expectations. Mom and Dad, if you’re reading this, thank you!”

Now, Segrist’s hobbies have changed from what they once were.

“My hobbies are collecting comic books, vinyl records, and great books,” said Segrist. “When I’m not coaching debate or teaching, I am probably writing an analysis of a film, working on my much-delayed novel, or playing [and] recording music with one of my two bands.”

Some of his favorite courses in high school were writing and literature, so it wasn’t surprising that he became an English teacher. But he also enjoys art and history as well.

“I particularly draw up the structure and vibe of art classes for my creative writing workshops,” said Segrist. “When teaching literature, my love of history helps to provide context for the narratives.”

His interests in high school have transitioned into a deep passion for teaching.

“My favorite part of this job is the daily joy and satisfaction which comes from the innumerable and unpredictable interactions with young minds,” said Segrist. “The chemistry and vibe of each class period is as distinctive as a fingerprint, which keeps things interesting. It is an honor and a great responsibility to help students in this final stage of their adolescent education.”

Leaving an influential mark on growing students is great and all, but Segrist believes the lunch time for this job seems just too short.

“The least favorite thing about my job? That’d probably be how little time everyone gets for lunch.” said Segrist, “In my experience, job satisfaction is strongly correlated to how much time you get to eat.”