May’s Teacher Feature: Mr. Holloway
Photo by Cora Kuhlenbeck
Grace Strelow
May’s teacher feature goes to Mr. Barry Holloway, who has been teaching at Hamilton High School for eight years. He previously taught at Wauwatosa East for two years. Mr. Holloway is a Communication Arts teacher; he currently teaches AP Literature, Honors European Literature, and Communication Arts 9. He used to coach women’s rugby at UW-Whitewater and now coaches (and started) the Hamilton Girls Rugby team at Hamilton. It speaks to his charismatic personality in that this spring was the largest recruitment of new rugby players in Hamilton’s history.
Mr. Holloway is also a popular teacher amongst the staff. Mr. Tennessen says this, “I’d say that Barry is one of my favorites at Hamilton because we share a lot of opinions on the finer things in life, namely donuts and literature. He’s a top-notch teacher and coach. The only thing that would make him cooler is if he supported Les Bleus in this summer’s European Championship.”
When he’s not teaching or coaching, Mr. Holloway likes to spend time with his family in Bay View, where he lives with his wife, one-year-old son Harrison, and dog Finley. He claims his wife is far more interesting than him because she works at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where she helped create a mouse that has the immune system of a human.
According to Mr. Roth, he believes that Holloway is pretty interesting himself. “Mr. Holloway is no man. He is a God amongst mortals. His English is impeccable, his style is on-par with Mrs. Argall's, and his optimism matches Mr. Helm's. I hope that we all recognize how fortunate we are to be allowed in his presence. Hail Barry!”
Read on to hear more from Mr. Holloway himself:
What got you interested in teaching?
I am a third generation teacher. My mother taught special education, my grandma taught elementary ed, and my grandpa was a biology teacher. My grandpa was Ms. Jensen’s favorite teacher!
Was this your first choice as a job?
Yes! But initially I wanted to be a social studies teacher.
Describe yourself in one sentence.
“Three words: hard working, alpha male, jackhammer. Merciless. Insatiable.--Dwight Schrute”--Barry Holloway
What would students be surprised to know about you?
If I could be any hero it would be Aquaman. You get all the respect and no responsibility. There are no evil geniuses trying to blow up the ocean or steal money from sandbanks. It’s all sun and swimming.
What weapon would you carry during the Zombie Apocalypse?
Sword. Never run out of ammo!
Who would you team up with and why?
Don’t tell my wife but...Bear Grylls because he could keep me alive. Bear & Barry.
What’s your first thought when you wake up? What's your last thought before you go to bed?
Thank God I am not a beetle.
I hope I don’t turn into a beetle.
If you could get rid of anything what would it be?
Income disparity
What would your perfect room/ classroom look like?
Kids having fun but still learning
What do you wish you’d invented?
The novel ‘Grapes of Wrath’ by John Steinbeck
What time period would you want to live in?
I am fine with living here and now, but I wouldn’t mind running back the 90s. I never got a chance to see Oasis live.
What is the weirdest thing you have done to get your students’ attention?
Sang “Zombie” by The Cranberries.
What is the best advice you have received?
Hamlet’s “Fall of a Sparrow” speech: “the readiness is all.” He’s talking about death but really it's about life too. Life is so unpredictable and worrying won’t change that. You just have to be ready to enjoy the highs and weather the lows.
What’s your favorite college memory?
Nothing particular. Just having very little responsibility and lots of time with friends.
Where did you go to college?
UW-Whitewater
What's the weirdest thing you’ve ever Googled?
If you could meet anyone in history who would be and why?
Charlie Chaplin. I grew up worshiping him as a kid. It probably explains a lot about me.
Who are your teacher besties?
I can’t say I hang out with my colleagues outside of work, but I have some “go to” people. I go to Mr. Washbush when I need help because he is always willing and always has a solution. I go to Ms. Kowalske when I need to grumble about something to get it out of my system. I go to Mr. Tennessen when I need a laugh, Ms. Jensen when I need positive energy, and Mr. Roth when I need a hug.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?
I am halfway done getting my PhD at UW-Madison in educational leadership, so hopefully done with that. I hope I am still teaching and coaching rugby at Hamilton, but I need to pay for Harrison’s college, so I might need to get into administration, which may take me somewhere else. We’ll see. Just hoping to be happy and healthy.
What is something you collect?
I have about 400 European-style board games in my basement (e.g. Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan). My friends work in the industry, and we all like playing board games when we get together.
If you had to describe what being in your classroom was like by using a movie title, what would you pick (ex: Vacation, A Walk to Remember, etc.)?
Lost in Translation...because sometimes my students treat me like I am not even speaking English.
What's your favorite age group to teach (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
I think freshman or seniors. It’s fun to see both sides of the spectrum.
What’s the funniest or most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you as a teacher?
This semester Cynthia said “wry” to describe a tone, but I couldn’t tell if she said “wry” or “dry.” So I was like, “Did you say “wry” as in “r--” and my mouth started spelling “r-y-e,” but my brain was like “this ain’t right, but it’s Friday, and this is my day off.” So I just took a long pause, and Cynthia looked at me like I was crazy and slowly said “no, w--” and then my brain kicked in but the damage was done. Cynthia now teaches my AP Lit class.
