Within the past few years the eagle team has gained and lost many staff members. This being especially true for Women’s Literature and Gender Studies. Gabriel Bodenhiemer has joined the eagle team as a new literature teacher. I interviewed Bodenheimer to get some background information and an understanding of who he is…

After a hard year of the pandemic, racial justice, wildfires, and technical hacking for us students, it felt nice seeing a new person in the building who is ready to help us students grow.

Q1) How do you like Centennial so far?
A1) I am loving Centennial, I really enjoyed teaching last year. I was in the sub position and I got to teach College English and your class. Women’s Literature and Gender Studies. Kids are great, the staff is great.

Q2) If you could change one thing about Centennial, what would it be?
A2) It is difficult as a new teacher, I am coming from having my own experience from different schools. I taught for six years at a Catholic school so I have a perspective going into this. I am somebody who watches, listens and takes things in. Generally teaching and learning is a process of alliteration. We are always striving to help everyone here in this building feel a sense of belonging.

Q3) With that, what are some challenges you face this year with teaching?
A3) In a ridiculous but practical challenge, I didn’t see a lot of the people I thought last year. Somebody came up to me in the hallways and was like “Mr. Bodenheimer!” “And I was like who are you?!” “They were like, I’m so and so” and I was like “oh your name on Zoom and here you are in person” – I have never had the experience before. On one hand we want to get back to normal. As a teacher I want to give my students the best education that I can, and we’re still in a global pandemic, it’s not yet normal. And we’re still accumulating coming back to school and balancing coming back to school.

Q4) With some background knowledge, I do know you’re part cyborg. With being slightly disabled with the colcelus. What is it like being a cyborg teacher?

*We both take a second to laugh*

A4) To be honest it’s been hard this year with the masks. I rely on lip reading on what people are saying and it has made it difficult to hear and understand. In general I think that any experience of otherness, for me it’s a disability, with any experience of otherness makes us more empathetic to other folks. The world wasn’t built for me, so I along with my community are building that world so we can live in it. With that we need to support everybody and build the world they want to see.

Q5) What do you like to do in your free time?
A5) What do I like to do in my free time? I really love going to the movies. I’m happy we get to go back. I have seen two actual movies in theatres. The popcorn, people all laughing.

Me) It makes the world feel real. I mean the world is real, but in that second when you’re in a theatre you can think that this feels real and it’s not just a nightmare.

Bodenheimer) Having an experience with other people. The thing about Netflix, is you can watch whatever you want but you’re having your own singular experience and maybe the people that you live with. But there is this joy of theaters and being like ‘well I don’t know these people.’

Me) I went to the pumpkin patch last weekend and had a conversation with people I would have never talked to before. It felt real. It wasn’t social media where I would comment ‘oh my gosh so pretty’ and do nothing about it afterwards. It was a real experience to tell a girl she was pretty and see her genuine reaction versus a social media response. It felt nice having an actual conversation with someone that was not related to school or the pandemic.

Q6) Last question. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
A6) I wish I could put my head to my TBR (to be read) and have the whole experience of the book. I think one of the things of invisibility, it can show how you want to be in the moment but in the margins and hidden from everyone. And similar with other powers. It can show who you are as a person.

I would like to thank Bodenheimer for letting me interview them. I greatly appreciated the conversation we had. We are very excited to have Bodenheimer on the Eagle team.
Go Eagles!