SNAPSHOT: ANTHONY METZ

 

Occupation: I’m a social studies teacher at Newtown High School. European history is my focus, and I also teach Latin American history and Middle Eastern history.

Family: I have a sister who is a doctor. She lives in Santa Cruz, Calif. My mother and father live in Shelton, and I’m in Ansonia, so that’s pretty close to them.

Pets: I have a dog named Bailey, a Shi-Tzu. That’s it right now. I would like to get a Siberian husky one day.

How long have you been at NHS? This is my fourth full year of teaching, but I interned here, so I’ve actually been at the school almost six years.

What do you like to do in your free time? I coach varsity football and girls’ softball. I enjoy deer and duck hunting, and I enjoy snowmobiling and dirt biking. I love the outdoors. I love to travel and visit the national parks. I’ve done 42 of them already. And I have a couple of kind of different hobbies. I smoke a lot of the meat from my hunting, and I make my own, natural soaps. I haven’t had to buy a bar of soap in ages.

Do you have a favorite park? I love Glacier National Park in Montana. I’ve been there seven times. It’s unspoiled and I love the solitude.

Do you have a favorite teaching moment? It’s when a kid comes back and says you’ve made a difference in his or her life. When they come back and say “Thank you,” that’s the most rewarding thing.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? I like the Idaho/Montana area, and I’ve been to Iceland and want to go back there. That country is unbelievable. The beauty of the country is great, the people are very educated, and it’s just a beautiful society. I try to stay away from big cities.

What is the best thing about Newtown? The old New England tradition of the town. There are some really nice parts of the town, like the Ram Pasture area. I like going up to Fairfield Hills. There’s a lot of history there.

If you could spend a day with anyone from history, whom would you choose? I would pick Joseph Stalin, just to analyze his character, and see how crazy he really was.

Do you have a personal philosophy? Live what you love. I love my job. I see people working jobs that they really don’t like, and they are miserable. Is it worth it?

What makes you happiest? A day in the woods, on my own. I love people, but I love solitude. Being in the woods, you see the bigger picture. I feel like it is a sort of meditation state.