Staff Spotlight: Mr. Getty

I chose Mr. Getty for my Staff Spotlight. I have known him since Freshman year, and since then, he has always been more than just a teacher to me. He has put together so many things just for his students even though he is never required to. For example, he created the NW Gaming Club, where people can come and play any games that they like, from board games to Call of Duty.

Mr. Getty has worked at Northwest High school for 11 years and has been the Choir Director for Northwest since he started. I asked him five questions today, three “serious” questions and two “fun” questions.

The First question I asked him was, “Do you have any pets? If so, why, and if not, why not?” he told me that he was allergic to most pets like dogs and cats. and even if he wasn’t allergic, there wouldn’t be enough time to be with a pet. In my mind, this makes perfect sense with how much he does outside of school as well including recently taking him and his Concert Choir students to Peru University or having one on one sessions with his students who need some help.

The next question that I asked was, “Do you like hot dogs or hamburgers and why?” He responded by saying that burgers were superior because of the customization options with how much you cook the burger and what toppings you could have. He also told me that another reason for liking burgers so much was that most of the meat from hot dogs is processed meat.

The third question that I asked was, “What are some things that you have learned in Omaha that you wish you have learned while you lived in Australia.” In case you didn’t know, Mr. Getty used to be an Aussie before he moved to Omaha. He responded by saying that the ability to recognize mistreatment in students and how to deal with them respectfully. He also told me that he is a lot more confident in both his abilities as a teacher/singer and also his general confidence toward anyone.

The next question that I asked was, “How do you put up with your students?” He then told me he uses his “sense of humor and patience.” I thought this was a very good response and it makes me believe that he loves his job and loves his students.

The final question that I asked was, “What made you want to be a Choir Director specifically?” He then responded by saying that choir means a lot to him and that he tried things like accounting but realized that it was boring and not worth his time. He also said that it was a fun environment no matter who he sang with.

This concludes my interview with Mr. Getty, and I thank him for the time it took for the interview. He has always been a good teacher and has always tried to help his students. I appreciate everything that he has done for me in the past and will always be grateful for it.