Shafer’s Passion for Teaching and Tranquility

By R. Garzone

March 25, 2022

“Keep up the good work, we need more history teachers.” Robert Shafer found this note on a graded paper in his 11th grade U.S. history class, instilling in him the idea that he could be a teacher one day.

Growing up, Robert Shafer moved around constantly. He was born on Long Island, NY, moved to Michigan in the second grade, Atlanta, GA, in third grade, Maryland in seventh grade, and Massachusetts in ninth grade where he stayed until he graduated high school.

Mr. Shafer recalls positive memories of learning how to sail while living in Georgia. The feeling of independence relaxed Shafer and is a large part of the reason he is passionate about the outdoors.

As a child, Shafer was always surrounded by education. His mother was a teacher and his father was an employee at General Electric but he always “had support” for education. Shafer also says that he loved his teachers every year, even the ones that “drove him nuts.” He was a straight A student, and he especially loved history.

After high school, Mr. Shafer went to Union College in Schenectady, NY studying Medieval European History. He describes his undergraduate experience only by saying “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” He graduated in 1991 and says teaching was “on his radar”, but he needed a break from the classroom.

Upon graduation, Shafer moved to Boston. Out of all the places he has lived, he cites Boston as his favorite. He enjoyed being able to walk anywhere and being surrounded by so much American history. It was also the first time that he was not enrolled in any classes and he was an adult, so he also liked being on his own.

While in Boston, Mr. Shafer coached a youth soccer league, and being around kids is what cemented the idea that he wanted to be a teacher. Shafer stayed in Massachusetts for approximately two to three years before returning to Union to receive his Master’s degree in education.

In 1995, Shafer got a job at Colonie Central High School and he has been teaching Regents and AP U.S. History since. He is content with where he ended up and wouldn’t change anything, and he plans on retiring in three years.

When asked what he would be doing if he was not teaching, Shafer doesn’t know what he would have done. He used to sell cars but he doesn’t think he would’ve stuck with that; teaching was such a “natural fit” for him. He claims his favorite part of teaching is when the lightbulb goes off and the student “gets it.”

Mr. Shafer is beloved among students and his peers at Colonie, especially fellow teacher Eliakim Littell.

“Rob is always showing me that I can be more patient. More empathetic. I love being able to say that he is a friend,” Littell said.

Littell and fellow colleague Eric Boham say that Mr. Shafer makes them laugh all the time; also, he has great energy and always sees the humor in everything around him.

In his classes, Shafer also tries to engage his students by playing review games such as Kahoot, making jokes during class, and often showing videos and movies to keep students entertained while learning about U.S. history.

When outside of the classroom, Mr. Shafer enjoys a number of outdoor activities. He says that his favorite season is summer because he can go camping, sailing, boating, hiking, and things of that nature.

Mr. Littell recalls his favorite memory with Mr. Shafer, of their families going to Indian Lake every year for about a decade. Littell says that he does not have a singular favorite memory, but he enjoyed spending time together while participating in activities such as riding in boats and playing ladder ball on the beach.

Being on Brant Lake is Mr. Shafer’s happy place. His favorite part is sitting on his screen porch in his cabin by the lake. He enjoys the sound of the gurgle of old boats and listening to the loons. Shafer describes it as a time when you can just stop and relax without worrying about anything else.

While Shafer enjoys sitting by the lake to be calm, he is constantly moving around. During his interview, he always tapped his hand on the table and made motions to help visualize the stories he was telling. For a man that loves to relax, he is always bringing exciting energy when he comes to school every day.

After retirement, Shafer plans on spending more time “working with his hands” to restore equipment at his camp. He also says that the thing he is looking forward to the most is spending more time on that screen porch on Brant Lake.