Westwood middle school teacher Dan Peppercorn brings comedy to his classroom
SUDBURY - Dan Peppercorn is a social studies teacher at Thurston Middle School in Westwood. He's also a standup comedian and he uses his comedy to connect with people and his students.
When you interview someone who does stand up you tend to get answers like this.
"I had a coach who said, 'Danny you're guarding him, he's very creative.' I was like, 'What does that mean? Does he do finger painting in the locker room at halftime?'"
The Sudbury native has a lot of interests. First and foremost, he grew up playing sports at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.
"I just love the feeling of the adrenaline rush of the teammates, of the camaraderie, and, of course, winning. There is nothing like it," he told WBZ-TV.
But the for last 25 years, Peppercorn has been a middle school teacher and when it comes to the classroom he brings all of these interests together.
"Be authentic, be relatable, of course be likeable is very important. But there's also that element of unpredictability. So even though you go in with a game plan. You've got to adjust," he said.
The kids appreciate the different approach of comedy, sports and learning.
"It's definitely the cards and notes you get from people like students. I had a kid who made a 'King Pep' sweatshirt, honoring my alter ego. He wore it and then gave me one and said, 'King Pepper needs more merch,'" Peppercorn said.
Peppercorn has written a book, "Creative Adventures in Social Studies." For more information, click here.
He'll be teaching classes at Boston College next year.