Templin, John

By Robin Weiss

Name: John Templin
Department: 9th and 10th grade R and E
Education: Sandy Spring High School, University of Maryland
Year started at MBHS: 2000
Previous Jobs: Commodity Broker
Hobbies: US First Robotics

What is it about talking to a teacher out of class that makes it so un-comfortable for a student? For the most part, students look at their teachers as people with whom they are forced to put up with everyday, whose names' begin with either mister, miss or misses and above all, are boring people who live at school. Without much probing, however, it becomes obvious that the teachers here at Montgomery Blair High School are in fact a colorful bunch.

Just chatting with Montgomery Blair's John Templin revealed a great deal about his personality and past experiences. Although born in Pennsylvania, due to his father?s air force career Templin was forced to move around the country as his father was constantly re-assigned.

By high school, Templin was living in Maryland and attending Sandy Spring High School. Talking about high school brought to mind some fascinating and hilarious stories. While not directly admitting to being a troublemaker, Templin recalled playing plenty of pranks on his teachers during high school. Templin also recalled his involvement in his school?s drama club. One time, Templin and his fellow thespians dressed up as 1920's gangsters and drove to their homecoming in a vintage car. "And oh yeah, we took a hostage on the way," remembered Templin as he concluded his homecoming story.

After high school, Templin attended the University of Maryland. Following a brief stint as a commodity broker, Templin returned to college for his teaching certification. While teaching was never his life long dream, Templin explained that he was inspired by his future wife, a teacher.

Now at Blair, Templin teaches both ninth and tenth grade Research and Experiment and a brand new robotics class. Excited about his classes, Templin will eagerly begin talking about their curriculums should the topic come up.

Templin is married and has a senior and junior at Paint Branch High School. He talks of how he is able to experience school as both a teacher and a parent.