Most people take some time to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Charlie Gordon is not “most people.” He knew he wanted to be a teacher at a young age because he taught swimming while working as a lifeguard during the summer.

After graduating from Winthrop High School, Charlie went on to the University of Southern Maine, where he earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education.

He then taught geography at the Windham Middle School for five years, where he discovered that junior high students were the wrong age group for him. He found the perfect fit at Brunswick High School where he taught a variety of subjects (sociology, geography, psychology, U.S. history and American government) from 1974 until his retirement in 2020. A leader outside the classroom at BHS, he served as Senior Class Advisor for 40 years, chaperoned at scores of student events and read the students’ names for all graduation ceremonies.

Charlie Gordon’s love of athletic competition matches his passion for teaching. He led Winthrop High School to the state championship in basketball and broke the school rebounding record in the process. He also broke the school high jump record. He served a player and team captain at USM and competed later in a semi-pro basketball league based in Portland. He served as the Bowdoin Men’s Assistant Basketball Coach for 18 years and remains a devout fan of the Polar Bears. An avid runner, he has competed in over 300 road races, including multiple marathons and 50 and 100-mile ultra-marathons.

Always on the go, Charlie Gordon’s calendar in retirement has remained full with activities: substitute teaching, hiking, playing golf and attending sporting events.

When asked what advice he might give to young people today, Charlie said, “Everything you do matters, so work on your human capital, build your internal resume. Try to find a passion and then develop the discipline to pursue it.”

His advice for parents? “Give teachers and coaches more distance. Give them the benefit of the doubt.” He jokes that, “Parents love it when you have rules, but not when you apply rules to their kid.” He hastens to add that 90 percent of the parents of his students were respectful, while only 10 percent were, in his words, “impossible.”

From my perspective as an everyday citizen, by the way, I do believe that teachers today face too much criticism and too little recognition. Pressures on teachers from parents and administrators have led to rampant grade inflation. (Note: The most common grade in high schools — and colleges — today is A, a phenomenon that tends to reward mediocrity, while minimizing the achievements of genuinely fine students.)

“I’ve always loved teenagers,” laughs Charlie. “They’re like sharks. I can’t understand them, but I love them.” And, it should be noted, students loved Charlie. The Brunswick Area Student Aid Fund recently established the Charlie Gordon Award Fund in his honor.

Charlie Gordon considers himself lucky, because he got to pursue his passion for teaching, while lifting the lives of young people. His students (and friends) consider themselves lucky to have learned lessons about life from a master teacher, a born leader, a Charlie Gordon.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com

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