South High teacher Michael Honeyman said if he were an animal, he’d correlate his identity most closely with Curious George because of his curiosity and mischief. There is more, however, to Honeyman than just curiosity and mischief.
As a kid, Honeyman said he didn’t really see himself becoming a teacher when he grew up. “When I was little, I thought I’d work with my dad. Then I wanted to be a stuntman or a rock star, but neither of those worked out for me.”
He also shared some of the challenges he faced when studying to become an educator by providing insight into the obstacles in his path. “A lot of them were mostly self-induced. Nobody in my family ever went to college, and I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I tried to go to college at UNL first, then I went to UNO,” he said.
“I think it played out the way I wanted it to, but not the way I expected it to. It took me a long time to find myself, so to speak.” Honeyman said the way his life played out for him has provided him with more perspective on how he views the events in his life.
When asked about what inspires or motivates him to continue each day, Honeyman said, “My kids, and my students. To keep doing the job; it’s all about my students.”
Honeyman said he truly enjoys teaching at South. “I knew the principal, and in my job at the time I had done some work with South High staff and students on diversity, equity and inclusion. When I needed a job, I knew South was the place I wanted to be.”
Honeyman explained why he chose to become certified to teach history.
“I wanted to teach psychology and sociology, but Nebraska doesn’t allow you to be certified in only those two, so you have to be certified in social sciences, which is all the social studies stuff. I do like teaching world history, because there’s a lot of opportunities to talk about human rights, which I am very passionate about.”
When asked to describe himself in a couple of words, Honeyman said he would start with “empathetic, because I really feel what people are dealing with. And curious because I really like learning new things.”
As for his future, Honeyman said that he plans to finish his career at South, then “continue to experience as many new things as possible and watch my own kids grow into who they’re going to be.”
When not teaching, Honeyman said he indulges in rock music, adding that his favorite song is Ripple by The Grateful Dead, an American folk-rock band.
A quote Honeyman would like to share with the students of South comes from Bear Heart, one of the last professionally trained medicine men of the indigenous Native American Muskogee Creek Tribe.
“We are here to add something, to construct and to preserve. To leave something good for the little ones who are going to come into our world. Let that motivation be so firmly established in your hearts and in your minds that you can say I will stand for this, I will live for this.”
Honeyman concluded by advising students to use their voice and never be afraid to use it.
“Our youth are much wiser than they get credit for. And what they have to say matters. That and never give up; the saddest part about my job is watching a kid give up.”
