“It doesn’t matter how bad my day was, at least it wasn’t a zombie apocalypse,” said social studies teacher Gary Neuzil.
Neuzil has been teaching for 34 years and has no plans to stop anytime soon. He first got the idea to pursue teaching during his senior year of college. Neuzil was originally going to follow his father’s steps in becoming a lawyer, but in college he was told that he should be a teacher. When he told his parents, they were devastated because he was meant to be his father’s partner.
“The social studies classes I always did well in, and I enjoyed them the most,” said Neuzil.
At the time he decided that he wanted to be a teacher, he had already taken multiple classes in government and sociology because he was a double major in political science and sociology. The double major was originally for his plans to be a lawyer, instead, he uses it to be a social studies teacher teaching psychology, sociology, and government.
“A few of my students talked to me about preparing for the zombie apocalypse, but since there really isn’t that much time during class, I worked with them to start the club after school,” said Neuzil.
In addition to being a social studies teacher, he is also the leader and founder of the Zombie Research Authority (ZRA). ZRA started because of the rise of the prepper movement and the release of the book “Zombie Survival Guide” by Max Brooks. His students asked him if they could talk more about preparing for the zombie apocalypse, so he started the club to speak outside of class.
The Evolution of Alexa in my classroom…one of the greatest advances in my teaching career. My high school students have benefitted in the information and assistance skills which Alexa provides! pic.twitter.com/a1GxRDn4YY
— GaryNeuzil (@gary_neuzil) April 2, 2019
Inside the class, Neuzil uses Canvas to post assignments, but before that, he had a website called Neuzilopolis which held all the information on his classes and a list of credible news sources. However, with Canvas making the online connection to students easier, Neuzil has stopped using Nezilopolis for his students. Today, he only uses it to plan what assignments to use.
“Back when websites were free to make, I made Neuzilopolis house all of the available resources, but nowadays with Canvas I just personally use it,” said Neuzil.
Neuzil uses Twitter as a platform frequently from boasting about his students to providing updates about his classroom.
My Psychology students working together on Operant Conditioning story problems. Great students at our school! pic.twitter.com/bCMmIsmyls
— GaryNeuzil (@gary_neuzil) April 9, 2019