Teacher by Day, Soccer Player by Night

Like many students, teachers need stress relievers, and for Mrs. Diane Frey, soccer is one of these pastimes. Mrs. Frey, freshman honors and AP Language & Composition teacher, juggles her time with her hobbies, kids, and teaching. One hobby includes playing soccer, a sport that takes up much of her Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings in the fall and spring/summer months. This hobby began when Mrs. Frey was in high school and helped establish her school’s girls soccer team. She played center midfielder throughout high school but stopped for a time. Recently, however, Mrs. Frey has gotten back into playing soccer as a defensive left-back for a team of women named PINK United.

She finds herself looking back on her high school years and is nostalgic during games as she passes to former teammates and former rivals. Further, it is clear that Mrs. Frey loves playing because she is surrounded by strong and inspiring women. Although Mrs. Frey’s schedule does tend to catch up with her, she continues to play because of the physical challenge and the therapy.

Teacher by Day, Bagpiper by Night

Many people find it difficult to stay true to their culture, but Mr. Michael Glackin has found a way to keep in touch with his roots. Following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps, Mr. Glackin “fell in love” with bagpiping as a teen. At thirteen years old, he began his first lessons and from then on, has never stopped. Unsurprisingly, he and his dad still play in the same band and have been playing together for over twenty years.

Similar to students, teachers also have to manage their time well. Time constraints include his rehearsals, young children, and school; as Mr. Glackin would say, “[time management] involves good scheduling, compromise, and sometimes babysitters.” This all comes side-by-side with teaching multiple United States History II and Topics in Human Behavior classes.

However, through these struggles, Mr. Glackin has chosen to persist and continues playing the bagpipes. The bagpipes provide him enjoyment and have been the source of some of the best moments in his life: leading a band in New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, playing for his wife at their wedding, winning Champions Supreme for the Eastern US, among others. Mr. Glackin is also an instructor for two different bands. One is made up of active and retired police officers and firefighters, while the other is comprised of US Department of Homeland Security agents, a band he helped create himself. It is this joy and sense of identity that Mr. Glackin appreciates every time he suits up, including in the main lobby of Edison High on St. Patrick’s Day this March.