The Marionette interviewed AP Government and Psychology teacher John Tipsword.

John Tipsword: Do you guys think it’s funny that I call [coffee] mud?

Question: What made you want to join the military?

JT: Sense of adventure. I always wanted to travel. I knew I wanted to do something that one, I could look back on and say I had done and completed a difficult thing. Being in the military is not an easy task. And I wanted to get a sense of the world that I wasn’t going to get reading about it or watching it on TV. In the marine core, I worked my way up to sergeant. Then I transitioned out of the marine core. I went into the army. I worked my way up through the enlisted ranks while going to college and being in the military up to E7 I was turned first class. Then I commissioned and I became a second lieutenant and I worked my way up to captain. So if you add it all together, I was promoted ten times. And I’m retiring as a captain.

Q: What was the most memorable thing you saw during your time in the military?

JT: The beauty. I was in Okinawa for my first duty station. I’ve seen sunfish that were eight [feet] tall. I’ve seen the shore of Korea. Thailand, the temples of Thailand. Hungary, the great basilicas. Remarkable things to see that I would not have seen otherwise.

Q: Why did you become a teacher?

JT: I gain more value out of service than profit. Being a teacher is natural extension of that. I am a teacher through the Troops to Teachers program. It seemed to be a natural fit from being in a leadership position as a commander to coming into a classroom and be able to impart all kinds of life experience behind what I teach as a government teacher and a psychology teacher.

Q: What do you do in your free time?

JT: I enjoy working out on my land. I live on an acreage. I spend a lot of time with my daughter. I do a lot of reading. I’m not a big television person. I find that there is a lot of TV that generates very little value. Reality TV, to me, promotes the wrong kind of ideals that I think people should try to strive for. I prefer to research something or read something to where it gave me an idea that I can look for, research in the future, (and) gain more knowledge. Television doesn’t do that for me.

Q: What do your tattoos mean?

JT: The tattoos tell a story of what I did and who I (was) in the military. For example, we have Okinawa. I’ve got Thailand. It’s the places that I’ve visited or was stationed in. And then on the left arm is going to be the places where I ended up fighting, with the phrases that are listed here describing those events. As it is a significant part of my life, I see these as a way to continue to say, “This is what I did. These are the places I’ve been. This is my story. This is what they represent,” in a way that stays with me even after I’ve hung up the uniform.

Q: Why do you give coffee to your students?

JT: It’s a morale thing. A lot of the students here, and teachers now, look forward to it. Apparently I make a pretty good cup. Because if you think about it you come to class, sit down, drink a cup of coffee, and then go into what we’re learning about with our government.

Q: What are your expectations for this school year?

JT: To get to learn the best practices and learn from my fellow teachers what right looks like. To impart to the students, because as it starts with the seniors it goes down, that I’m passionate about what I do. I’m passionate. Government is something that I would talk about even if I wasn’t a government teacher. And then lastly, to really become comfortable in my skin as a teacher and not as a military officer.

Welcome, Mr. Tipsword!