Mr. Ron Douglas talks about music, joys of teaching
By Greg Goulder ’13
THE ROUNDUP
Where are you from?
I was born in Mesa and grew up in Tempe.
What music do you listen to?
I’m pretty broad in my music taste. Lately I’ve been listening to a little rockabilly with Chris Isaac. I’m all over the place.
In high school I was a musician, so I got into classical music and jazz.
What is your favorite website?
I go to the Daily Beast a lot and it’s a good all-around news website, and I’m pretty well known for visiting TED talks.
What do you like most about teaching at Brophy?
I have a tremendous amount of variety I’m involved in, and I have a lot of different loves and things I like to be a part of.
It’s a wonderful fit from Tech Theater to sports at lunch to doing an art class. It appeals to me; I like the variety. Every day is different.
I was in the construction industry and there’s no question you get a stimulating environment in teaching.
How do you commute to Brophy?
Well, I used to use a gladiator device, a rickshaw.
We called it the chariot.
But one day the axle broke, without the kids on it, thankfully. But recently I’ve been driving here.
What clubs are you involved with?
I’m in the best club at Brophy—the outdoor adventure club. Unfortunately, that one never got off the ground. But I mostly work in Tech Theater. I’ve done the environmental club and the trailriders club, but neither got off the ground.
What is something awesome that you can do?
My brother-in-law says I can make a house full of furniture out of a two by four. I remodeled my whole house; I was the general contractor. I played the trumpet. I have an organic garden. I can ride a unicycle backward with one foot. Actually, no, I can ride forward with one foot and backward with two feet.
What do you do on the weekends?
Typically, I’m doing stuff with the kids. I do some gardening and I try to take my kids camping regularly.
How can a student earn an “A” in your class?
I think the biggest part of earning an “A” is engaging in the material and being present during class.
What is your favorite movie?
I really like the movie “Last of the Mohicans.” It has one of the most intense love scenes without showing anything in it. I like the passion of the movie. I also like the movie “Contact.”
What do you think about this year’s freshmen?
Well, I typically really like freshmen. They seem to be pretty inquisitive and want to take their faith and expand on it.
There also seem to be a few more man-children in my class; I question if some are really 14 years old.
What are you really building in Tech Theater? Rumor has it that you are building a fortified city to take over the school.
I tried that once. It failed.
However, we have made a few cityscapes in the club. You would have to ask Mr. McShane ’82 for my covert plans for takeover.
Mr. Danforth’s question from February’s “Teacher’s Pet”: How would you make Brophy a better place?
I would have sort of a central gathering place—it currently seems to be spread out. The campus has gotten larger and made people spread out.
Pose a question for the next edition of “Teacher’s Pet.”
Would Brophy be better if it was designed as a fortress? Would you place a moat around the campus? If Brophy did have a pool, would the gym roof be a good place for it?
