Golden Apple winner makes his mark with creativity
Gold's Theatre of the Absurd is what sixth grade teacher and Golden Apple winner Charles "Barry" Gold is best known for at Frederick School in Grayslake.
But it's far from the only thing a generation of students learned from Gold, who celebrates his last day of sixth grade today before he retires after 20 years in Grayslake Elementary District 46.
In Gold's Theatre of the Absurd, he dressed in costume to demonstrate a history or math lesson. He said his unique teaching methods, including use of acting and storytelling, stuck around because they work.
Viking, Roman centurion and Louis the 14th are some of the costumes Gold's friend and former colleague Karen Fritz has sewn. She was happy to contribute.
"He does everything so creatively, so it reaches the children through that type of hands-on learning," Fritz said.
Gold said he taught more than just math and social studies - he prided himself on teaching "life."
"There's a lot more to school than just what happens inside the cover of a book," he said.
Gold focused on modeling behavior he expects to see and teach his students, such as respect and organization.
"If I'm not organized, how can I expect them to be? I can't sit still for 45 minutes, why should I expect them to sit still for 45 minutes? It's no different," Gold said.
Seventeen years ago, Gold created the Warriors Program at Frederick that teaches kids to have confidence and high self-esteem. Through outdoor activities and field trips, the Warriors Program remains is a point of pride for Gold.
He enjoyed teaching at the middle school level, because he thinks he made a difference. In recent years, he saw children of former students enter his classroom, and people who remembered his class years later.
"They don't remember all the time, the facts, but they remember the feelings, they remember some off the wall comment you made 20 years ago. That is what that child remembers today when they bring their children into my classrooms," Gold said.
Mary Dertz is a colleague, friend and a parent of one of his former students, who said his class was a topic of dinner conversation for her daughter.
"The four of us would sit around the dinner table every night and my daughter would always have some funny story about Dr. Gold's class that day. He was always a part of every meal," Dertz said.
Gold's teaching days are far from over. Already teaching some graduate courses at Dominican University, he plans to continue as an adjunct professor to teach the next generation of teachers.
"This is not the end, it's just another step," he said. "As long as they can wheel me to the white board or whatever takes the place of the white board."