Q+A: David Boshko

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 | 7:24 a.m.

Reading aloud from a children's book about three elephants that perished at a Tokyo zoo during World War II, history teacher David Boshko is reduced to tears.

You would think reading the same tragic tale to dozens of classes year after year after year would lessen the impact. Maybe it's because this is the last opportunity he'll get read this story to his students in the Clark County School District.

"Mr. Boshko, do you need a hug?" says a boy in the front row.

Wiping his face with the heel of his hand, Boshko can only nod.

After spending 40 years in the classroom, where middle-school students applauded his rich storytelling as a way to teach history, Boshko is moving on. He's leaving public education's red tape, ever-larger class sizes and innumerable standardized tests in favor of teaching part time this fall at a private school.

After graduating from college in Iowa, Boshko spent two years as a forest ranger and 11 years teaching in New Mexico. He settled in Clark County with his family in 1978.

Boshko's engaging lectures won him a spot in the Clark County School District Education Hall of Fame. During a discussion of World War II, Boshko explained that the lyrics of the popular wartime song "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" were based on actual events at Pearl Harbor. And then he sang the song.

"I have a terrible voice," Boshko said as the school year closed at Bob Miller Middle School, where he's taught since 2003.

"But the kids cheered for me."

Q:

That's just more paperwork, more bureaucracy. I like my job, and I've never wanted to do anything but be in the classroom.

How have students changed since you arrived in Clark County?

They've basically always been good children. Middle school is interesting, there's so much going on. Girls are becoming young ladies, the boys are starting to notice the girls. Teachers either love it or they hate it. I can honestly say the kids this year are the best I've ever had.

You're going to Foothills Montessori School, just a few miles from Miller. What can the private school setting offer that the district couldn't?

I'll have seventh and eighth graders - 15 students total. I'm so used to 35 or 37 kids in a class it might be a shock to my system. For a long time, class sizes were always small in Clark County. I opened Greenspun Middle School (in 1991) and for a long time we had 20 or 21 students at a time. Then the rapid growth started, and class sizes went up, up, up.

How has that affected your ability to teach?

Large classes take it out of you. There are more discipline problems, more grading to do. I had 180 to 200 students a year. If you ask one essay question on a test, how do you find time to read and correct all the answers? You have a personal life, too.

I used to do a lot of plays. The students loved it. I loved it. But with the larger class sizes, it's nearly impossible. There's always someone fooling around, someone not paying attention. I'd keep on teaching forever if I had smaller classes. I'd take that over a salary increase.

What advice would you give the more than 3,000 new teachers who will begin their careers in Clark County this August?

The first year is the hardest. When I first started I should have been paying the school district, given all the mistakes I made. I was so worried about having a discipline problem that I went to the other extreme and came on too strong. All you really need to do is be firm and consistent, so that the children know what to expect. Set a routine and follow it. Build up your resources as you develop your program. Steal everything you can from the great teachers you meet. I'm a very accomplished thief (laughs). I'm not much of an innovator, but I know how to take a good idea and put it to work.

Your daughters graduated from Green Valley High School and UNLV. One is an attorney and the other is a sales representative. Did you want them to become teachers?

I used to encourage my children to go into education. It's rewarding. You could have your own life in the summer, spend time with your family. What other job can give you that? But I don't recommend it as a career like I used to. Expectations have changed. It's harder to teach now. Class sizes alone wear you out. I like to get to know each student, that's my forte. That's become impossible. We have about 15 days each year of testing. That cuts into your instructional time. With the transiency rate in this community, I'm not sure how much those tests can really tell us about how our students are doing.

What will you miss the most?

The kids. I love them.