Timothy Hoare mixes performance and passion in his teachings
By Forest Lassman
Timothy Hoare has pursued a variety of his passions and incorporates them in his classes.
Early in life, Hoare fell in love with religion and become an ordained Presbyterian minister. Hoare also loves to mime and has studied it at a professional level.
“It’s not all just white face and making walls and walking in the wind. There is a lot of old classical clowning traditions,” Hoare said.
While teaching others to mime, Hoare discovered his love of teaching and uses his performance history to help improve his teaching.
“It’s fun to be able to bring that background into the class,” Hoare said. “If any professor told you that there wasn’t a performer buried inside of them that wants to get out, they’re lying to you. … Maybe not everybody, but I think most do. The good teachers are the ones who really do have a good presence in front of the classroom.”
Teaching has also provided Hoare with an opportunity to learn. While getting his master’s degree, Hoare had to focus on a small issue, but by teaching more general classes, Hoare has the opportunity to find out more.
“I’ve learned more about my field after I started teaching than I ever learned getting ready … because I had to go and pick up all these other things and learn in the field as it were, of all the things I was not an expert in. I just had to pick them all up, and it’s been a fascinating journey. I’ve learned so many things in … a very, very wide spectrum that I didn’t get to do when I was focusing on my specialization.”
Hoare has also taken a great interest in Asian cultures and religion. By learning about these different religions, Hoare feels like he understands more about his own culture.
“The older I get, the more universal I become. There are so many truths and principles in [different religions] that just fascinate me,” Hoare said. “The best way to learn about your own traditions is to study those of other people. It’s a reflexive thing, and you see your own in comparison. … You learn more about yourself and any inter-cultural thing by learning the things of other people.”
Thailand in particular has grabbed Hoare’s attention. His wife has family in the country, and Hoare plans to retire there. From singing Thai rock and roll to golfing, Hoare has fallen in love with the culture and wants to spend even more time with it later in life.
Hoare has explored so many different paths in life and has been able to use them together to explore more and more. Even after decades of teaching, Hoare is still excited for the future.
“I just turned 60, and I sometimes feel like I’m just getting started.”