Andy Bigelow has been teaching for 20 years, and is now in his eighth year as a history teacher and more at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
"I love teaching the value of history and cultural literacy," said Bigelow, 47, who was born and raised in Manchester, N.H., and has lived locally since 2006. "I also love those moments when you help a student who is struggling through a learning disability, [or] a challenging home life, or even teaching kids basic interpersonal skills to help them in all arenas. No one is allowed in my room unless they say, 'Hello.' We talk about posture, eye contact, and saying please and thank you. No joke, we all know that 'You can't get a second chance at a first impression' and so I always enjoy providing guidance on behavior, citizenship, and the humanities."
His words of wisdom have rubbed off on hundreds, probably thousands, who he has taught or encountered in the many hallways of learning that he has walked, not to mention sports teams he has led. Bigelow, for instance, is the Parker assistant cross country coach this fall.
Lydia Dana, a former student of Bigelow's at Needham High School in Massachusetts, never forgot him—and the year-long experience in his U.S. History course. She nominated Bigelow for the 2014 Facing History Together Teacher Recognition Contest—and he is one of the 20 finalists. Bigelow is the lone teacher from Illinois named a finalist, one of seven male finalists, and the list of finalists includes teachers from Canada, Mexico, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The winner receives $5,000 and public online voting closes on Monday, Nov. 17.
"I took social studies with Andrew Bigelow for one year of high school and was in his homeroom for all four," Dana wrote. "Through his respectful manner, energetic yet even tone, and unwavering commitment to bringing a social justice lens to our studies, Mr. Bigelow had a profound impact on my education. Despite being a walking, talking, breathing human for 15 years prior, it seems it wasn't until Mr. Bigelow's class that I became conscious. I began to recognize the magnitude of being human and a participant in society. I began to consider my choices and actions and their potential impact on humanity. Andrew Bigelow embodies the mission of Facing History—indeed, on humanitarianism—in his work with students."
Dana is now graduate student of race and gender, "and attribute to him any success I have in addressing oppression and contributing to liberation in the years to come," she added.
Bigelow was surprised being nominated and shocked being named a finalist.
"I was honored to read her impression of her experience in my course," Bigelow said. "The Facing History curriculum was one of the first outside sources that I ever used in my history courses. One of its founders is a former professor of mine who I idolized, Steve Cohen … so, that makes being honored by Facing History so much more meaningful."
Bigelow lives in Lincoln Park with his husband, Brian Lighty, who he has been with for 15 years. The two have two sons: Malik, 19; and Fernelis, 17.
Being an out teacher, he said, has made it "so much easier to be myself [and] a better way to lead by example, and that means being true to myself and my kids." He was closeted for the first seven years of my career.
Malik is now a senior, while Fernelis is a junior at Parker.
Bigelow has loved having them in the school, though admitted with a smile, "they may not."
"I know they are in a good place and I can be there to make sure they receive the best possible education," Bigelow said. "Both came from very challenging homes and since Brian and I adopted them, they have overcome so much and I am so proud of how far they have come. I love my boys and being a dad can be tough, but I can't imagine missing out on parenthood. Co-parenting with Brian, [who is] a Southern Black Baptist and [former] U.S. Marine from North Carolina, has been a trip. I hope one day our boys will look back and appreciate our style, or at least appreciate how hard we try."
Bigelow teaches U.S. History for juniors, World History for sophomores, a senior elective on the Civil Rights Movement, and a civic engagement group that advocates for the LGBT community. He also runs Parker's GSA.
"I have made sure these kids have experienced the words of wisdom from Lambda Legal, Equality Illinois, the Center on Halsted, Project Vida, Howard Brown, etc. I love bringing in guest speakers who are living the dream [and are] openly gay," he said.
Bigelow spent many years as a camp leader at YMCA Camp Belknap in New Hampshire and eventually worked four years in the insurance industry, and admittedly contemplated law school. "But, I always knew that I wanted to teach," he said, "so I gave my 401K plan to Tufts University and earned an MAT in social studies."
His dad always knew he'd end up in education, Bigelow said.
"It was inevitable and in the end, [teaching] was best for me," he said.
And history was a logical choice. He is "obsessed" with presidential history, politics, the French and Russian Revolutions, and daily newspapers. His favorite teachers and classes were always in the humanities.
"My Civil War professor at Tufts can no longer visit Monticello because he goes every summer to correct tour guides and gets escorted out … I love that stuff," Bigelow said. "More important, there is tremendous value in possessing a vast cultural literacy in historic and current events. My kids need to know why the Founding Father's intent is always referenced when the U.S. Supreme Court is making life-changing decisions on the premise of original intent.
"Why are the northern cities so diverse and segregated? The history of race in America and years of legalized segregation have led us to the racially divided nation we possess. If you don't understand the history of the Great Migration, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, you can't understand the tension behind voter ID laws in Texas and Alabama, or even why Ferguson erupted in Missouri. There is value in knowledge and an educated citizenry can lead to a stronger nation. It can also inspire kids to be active in elections when we discuss current events and the hope is that they will embrace an attitude in favor of a participatory democracy. I want them to become agents of change."
And not all of his work was in a classroom. Take, for instance, the Wisconsin trip he ventured on a few years back, with students from an elections course. There were 10 Obama supporters and eight who sided with Mitt Romney—and it was Election Day.
"We had one bus, two missions ( get out the vote for our candidate ) and one purpose ( to fully embrace a participatory democracy )," Bigelow said. "It was one of the greatest days in my career and the satisfaction in my students' faces was priceless."
Truly, Bigelow loves his job. "When I see [students] progress, I smile. When I see them smile, it warms my heart. Every year I have an opportunity to make a difference in their lives and I take that quite seriously. The role of a teacher can be transformative and can never be taken lightheartedly."
To vote for Bigelow, go to: outreach.facinghistory.org/vote/entry/andrew-bigelow .
