By Addison Schwing – Editorial and News Editor

Mr. Kravecs has been a mainstay in the Social Studies department ever since he started teaching at Law. He is the undisputed champion of United States History, teaching both the regular and AP class, as well as teaching Civics, Economics, and the AP Macroeconomics course. He is also an Adjunct Professor of History at the University of New Haven, a proud UConn alum and Husky fan, and a “long-suffering Mets fan.” Advocate Editorial and News Editor Addison Schwing spoke with Mr. Kravecs about his career and how he has been passing the time in quarantine. 

Addison Schwing: Why did you decide to become a teacher?

Mr. Kravecs: I had always had thoughts of becoming a teacher for as long as I could think about what I would do with my life. Part of this was because many of my teachers growing up were truly amazing people, part of this was because many of my family members worked in education, and part of this was because I learned from a young age to support the growth and development of others in the Scouting program. As I was preparing to finish college I was actively debating whether to pursue a career in education or a career in law, and I chose education because helping and supporting others has always felt right and I believe that teaching is and continues to be the best way for me to help and support people the most.

Addison Schwing: What is your favorite part of being a teacher?

Mr. Kravecs: When I started teaching I would often say to people that I get to spend my entire day talking about things I want to talk about, like history and government, and in sharing my passions for those topics I could inspire others to enjoy those topics as well. Twelve years later, there have been shifts in how teaching and learning is done. I still get to talk about stuff I love all day long, but now it’s more important that students know what to do with that knowledge than it is for them to simply remember it. With that in mind I would say that my favorite part of teaching today is getting to share who I am with students, and in doing so, sharing my passions for life and learning.

AS: What have you been doing to pass the time in quarantine? 

MK: My wife and I have two daughters, one seven years old and one two years old, so the idea of passing the time in quarantine in my house is more about parental survival than anything. Our two-year-old has no idea why she hasn’t been to daycare in months and has developed a knack for climbing and bouncing in response. Also, I teach in the Milford Schools, my wife teaches in the Trumbull Schools, and our seven year old attends school in Monroe, so distance learning has been getting done three different ways with three different sets of expectations in our home. As if this weren’t enough to keep us busy we’ve had a lot of new wildlife in our yard since quarantine began, including a bobcat and a black bear. I guess you could say that our life in quarantine has been an ongoing adventure.

AS: What tv shows or movies have you enjoyed lately?

MK: Our daughters have had their entertainment selections dominating the television screens in the house these days. For the seven-year-old, this includes a lot of Disney Channel programs like “Just Roll With It”, “Bunk’d”, and “Jessie”. She has also gotten really into the “Descendants” series of movies. For the two year old, we have moved on for the moment from everything “Frozen” and instead have been rotating between “Mary Poppins”, “The Sound of Music”, and “Coco”. Lately, when I have been in control of the entertainment, I have gone to PBS and turned on different Ken Burns documentaries because PBS has made them all available for free during the quarantine. The two programs that I have been picking episodes from the most have been “The Roosevelts” and “Baseball”. I am also very happy to keep finding some of my favorite movies running as marathons lately, especially the Indiana Jones films!

AS: Is there anything you would like to say to your fellow teachers and your students? 

MK: Yes – you are all #LAWMAZING, and when we get through all of this and are able to see each other again it will be #FRANTASTIC!!!