Dr. Oswald Barnes teaches ACT and PSAT prep in A building. With his cool, heartwarming stories, he inspires his students.
While doing this interview, his voice broke when he told personal stories, and he showed much emotion. He said that he believes being so open with the students is often helpful, showing them that they, too, can open up.
He shows them that they can achieve everything they want if they just try hard enough. One thing he said that is the best part of his job is seeing his students grow.
“I love seeing my students run to me and show me their [ACT] score. The most special thing about it is telling them that they did this, not me, I was just the one helping them to see their potential.” Barnes said.
Barnes himself has multiple achievements. He was born deaf and got hearing aids at the age of 20, when he also learned to speak and learned everything new.
“I was so impressed when I heard all those things for the first time, and I remember how shocked I looked everywhere whenever I discovered something new,” Barnes said.
What also probably not many students know about him is that he learned to play the piano just because someone told him he couldn’t learn how to use instruments because of his disability. In addition, he is an accomplished organ player. He learned to play at college.
He is also a total family person, pointing to his wife, who recently passed away. They had a really strong bond with each other. She was also a teacher in this district, and they both ran marathons together. T
That he has a sweet soul and a real passion for his job was shown when he talked about what he would like to change in his job. Usually, teachers say they would like to change their payment or their working hours, but he immediately talked about his students.
“Something I would like to change about my job is that my class is only 9 weeks long. I am always so sad when my students finally open up and grow a bond with me, and then they need to leave already. But there is also such a good side of it because that means I get to meet new students and that is one of my favourite things in my job.” Barnes said.
One of his favourite experiences during his career was meeting Princess Diana. While he was in Scotland for 4 years, on a random day, he walked down a street and saw her driving in her car. She rolled the window down and waved at him.
“When she passed away, it felt like a personal loss because even if I only saw her for 5 seconds, those were some of the most special seconds of my life. Meeting real royalty was so magical,” Barnes said.
Barnes has overcome so much but feels that he has much to teach.
“Having this disability didn’t only teach me how to have a photographic memory, it taught me that by being kind, you can make the most beautiful things happen, you don’t need to hear or talk for that. It also taught me to be empathetic and to try to be in someone else’s shoes instead of just judging them. We have enough negativity in this world, and kindness is free.” Barnes said.
