If you’ve ever walked down the 600 hallway at the high school, you may have noticed a classroom halfway down the hall belonging to a veteran math teacher known for her no-nonsense, all-business attitude. That teacher is Linda Duggan, who has been plying her craft for 21 years here in Tiger Country. We chose to interview Duggan since she is an influential figure for many throughout the school and students adore her for her strict, well-taught classes.
Focusing on her personal life, Duggan states that her mother, a Holocaust survivor, was her biggest influence. Duggan’s mother was taken away from her family in Poland at 16, and forced to work at a labor camp. Unfortunately for Duggan’s mother, she could never see her family back in Poland again, and she ended up moving to the United States at the age of 19 in search of a better life. Her mother is her biggest influence due to her bravery, her ability to overcome adversity, and because she was able to survive the gruesome conditions at the concentration camps.
Like a handful of teachers here at the high school, Duggan was once a student at SHHS. She explained that socially she would label herself as an introvert, due to her self-reliance and the fact she enjoys spending time by herself. Academically she said she was not the strongest student, revealing she was an average “B” student from ninth through tenth grade and an average “C” student from eleventh to twelfth grade.
After high school, Duggan attended Holyoke Community College (HCC), dropped out during her freshman spring semester, then reattended HCC for nursing school in 1984 and earned her nursing degree two years later in 1986. After finishing nursing school she attended Mount Holyoke College (MHC) where she received her undergraduate degree.
While at MHC she made many friends and memories, but her best college memory revolved around her master’s project. Her topic was “Why students never or rarely do their homework.” Some reasons students don’t complete homework are that they have jobs to attend to, do not understand what they are learning, or have other issues at home that make completion challenging. This is intriguing since it implies that Duggan either knew beforehand from her own learning experiences that students were hesitant to complete homework, or she was already in a teaching position and wondering the same question.
Duggan’s biggest influence regarding her career path choices was her eighth-grade teacher Ms. Kaver. Duggan said that Kaver ended up being her biggest influence because of her teaching style and how she interacted with her students. Teachers are one of the biggest influences on adolescents, adjacent to parents and guardians, who have direct impacts on their behavior, learning habits, and mindset.
Family is extremely important to Duggan, as she said that family means everything to her and family always comes first. She replied that they will always have your back and you will always have theirs. She said that in many situations you will agree to disagree but never let your opinions get the best of you. Duggan said it’s important to always love and support your family because you never know when something could go wrong.
As for how Duggan’s children would describe her as a parent, she said as someone who was fair and would actively listen to them. She added that she learned a saying from a friend at Mount Holyoke who had older children who said “No matter what your daughter tells you, don’t show any emotion.” Duggan explained she still stands by this saying to this day and even when it comes to some things her daughter tells her, she has to take a deep breath before she responds. Duggan believes that communication is key and that it’s always best to stay rational.
Duggan and her husband first met at “Spalding Sports Nationwide” where Duggan worked as a bookkeeper due to her excellent math skills. Her husband was an accountant. They have been happily married for 42 years.
“I am my daughter’s biggest fan,” Duggan said, describing her daughter as kind and empathetic. Duggan also pointed out that her daughter “always calls her mother out whenever she says or does something she should not do.”
As for what it’s like to have Duggan as a colleague, math teacher Gary Hall said Duggan has been a role model of sorts, helping him develop strategies for teaching Honors Math. “She’s been very helpful,” he said.
