June Teacher Feature: Mr. Tennessen

Photo from Mr. Tennessen.

Grace Strelow

Mr. Michael Tennessen is the final Teacher Feature for the school year. Many people know Tennessen by his humor, love for tennis, and passion for teaching his students French. Tennessen has been teaching here at Hamilton for 15 years, and attended UW-La Crosse for college. 

Mr. Tennessen coaches tennis along with Mr. Fagan. Fagan stated this about their time coaching together: “He and I will usually play with our JV team. During a warm-up for a practice or before a match, we will hit around with our JV guys. Mr. T is a little hard on himself during these warmups.” 

He continues, “I love working with Mr. T. If you have him for French, you probably know more stories in that classroom than I do. My favorite of his in the classroom is how he tells all of you to silence or "shut up" in French. I just think it's kind of funny how he yells that out.”

Mr. Holloway, friend and rival of Tennessen, adds, “While the famous Mr. T ‘pities the fool,’ Hamilton's Mr. T. suffers no fools. His dry, sardonic wit is matched by no one in the building. It is the product of consuming unhealthy amounts of microwave oatmeal and terrible teachers' lounge coffee. He can often be found lying on the teachers' lounge floor stretching out his back pain he acquired from carrying the school's French program for so many years. The best way to coax out his hearty laugh is through dark comedy and satirical jokes about ‘sticking it to the little guy.’ He will give you as much respect as you've earned, no more or less, and while I have no desire to learn French, I would not hesitate to take his class because I know I would learn a great deal and have a good laugh.”

Read more to hear from Mr. Tennessen:

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received/given?

The best gift I received recently is the “Are You Sure?” t-shirt from my girls tennis team. It brought tears (of laughter) to my eyes. Great inside joke. 

What weapon would you carry during the Zombie Apocalypse? Who would you team up with and why?

You have to use the resources at your disposal, so I would team up with the survivors and learn their techniques of survival. Hopefully they would have extra weapons for me. Otherwise, I’d fashion a shank out of bones.   

How do you think students will remember you or your class?

A long, slow burn. 

What would you rather do: meet your future self, or go back in time and talk with your past self? Why?

Definitely go back and talk to my past self. So many questionable decisions could have been avoided. 

What is the best advice you have received?

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. 

What’s your favorite place on Earth?

It’s never where you go as much as who you go with. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  10 years?  20 years?

In 5 years, I’ll probably be sitting in this same chair making the same typing errors. I can’t see that changing 10 years from now. I sure hope I will have reached retirement by 2042! 

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

I am looking forward to traveling to France with our school group. 

Could you see yourself as a middle school or elementary teacher?  Why/why not?

I could never teach middle school. I have been in the trenches, so to speak. It was tough. I very much prefer my clientele in high school French.  

What is something that will always make you laugh, why?

Adding the pictures of my students in the place of other people while doing vocabulary review. Never gets old. 

What is the weirdest myth that you believe? 

Santa. You gotta believe. 

What is your second favorite subject? (besides the one you are teaching now)?

I love history and geography. 

What is something you collect? Why?

I collect the tears of my students. French V tears are the sweetest by far. 

What fictional character best represents you?

The survey I just took said Will Hunting. I’m not sure I see it, but I trust the professionals on the Internet. Who wouldn’t? 

What is something you will never get tired of eating?

Anything with pesto sauce will never get old. For dessert, a Grebe’s cruller is hard to top, unless we’re talking French pastries of course. 

What would your perfect room/ classroom look like?

My perfect classroom would be occupied by 12-15 bright individuals eager to learn French.  

When you aren’t teaching or coaching what do you like to do?

I am interested in spending time outdoors, specifically hiking, camping, and gardening. 

What age would you like to live to?

I would like to live to at least 100 so I can be a grumpy old man for a long time. 

If you could teach any other subject what would it be and why?

I would gladly teach a history class. 

What are your parting words to the graduating seniors this year?

You represent the hope for our common future. Act accordingly.