“When you see a student realize what they are capable of or when they perceive the world in a new and exciting way, it just makes your day,” shared Mr. Paul Saboe, our Eastern Shore Parents Teacher of the Month. Mr. Saboe has been teaching for a total of 24 years. He has been teaching freshman World History at St. Michael Catholic High School for the last four years.
“Like a parent, teachers live vicariously through their students, and when they succeed, we succeed,” said Mr. Saboe. “I work with students in the classroom and also coach our Model United Nations team. My favorite teach-ing moment was seeing our older students chair and running a Model UN conference for area middle and high school students in the spring and fall. Our Model UN team received the Best Delegation Award, the top conference honor, at the University of Alabama Model UN Conference this past February.”
Working with high schoolers can be challenging as the students grow into their own persons. When it comes to keeping his fresh-men motivated and engaged, Mr. Saboe shares that he treats them with respect and attention.
“My students know I care about them, and I engineer moments of small successes so that they feel capable as the challenges grow during the year. They know that I am out to help them reach their potential and that every assignment we do serves a purpose. Ultimately, I feel my job is not just to teach but to build culture and community.”
Whatever Mr. Saboe is doing with his stu-dents, it works. Having won the 2021 Nappie for Coolest Teacher in Baldwin County and now being featured as ESP’s Teacher of the Month, he joked it might be time to retire. However, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards anytime soon.
“While I hope the students understand and enjoy the history we cover, we are a skills-ori-ented class. I use history to teach essay writing, public speaking, critical thinking, and skills that will serve my students in courses to come and in life in general,” shared Mr. Saboe. “I also try to teach them how to be people of good ethos – with goodwill, good sense, good character. Finally, they should acknowledge and realize that “The Empire Strikes Back” is clearly the best of the Star Wars movies.”
Paul Saboe relocated to Fairhope, AL eight years ago because he had the opportunity to teach at St. Michael, a fairly new school at the time. He has two Bassett Hounds, Webster and Penny, and often volunteers with the Alabama Bassett Rescue. He loves reading, watching un-educational TV shows, and enjoying nature at Five Rivers, Bayfront Park and Weeks Bay.
