“What is life?”

As the sirens went off and he rushed to help, that was the question circling his mind. As he majored in music, that was the question. When he stepped into his classroom for the first time, that was the question.  

The answer:  do what he could to help the world. Becoming a teacher was that path to lessen the problems of society and — hopefully — lessen the number of deaths that take place. After high school, AP U.S. History teacher Trey Hooper immediately went into training to be an EMT. He realized that if he wanted people to live in the best way possible and be educated enough to not end up in those near-death situations, he needed to begin teaching the younger generation. 

Hooper has been teaching for ten years. This year will be his last year at the school, as he moved to Fort Worth during spring break.

“I had a couple of teachers who were really good, and the way they taught instilled a lot of values that I [try] to carry with me today,” Hooper said. “I wasn’t a great student, but those teachers really had an impact and put me on a better track. I recognized the value a teacher can have, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Hooper enrolled in a program through Tarrant County Community College because he wanted to work as a firefighter. He wanted to help people. However, when he started to learn the medical side of things, he knew it wasn’t the right fit — education was. 

“It was one of those things where I just recognized a lot of the problems that people found themselves in,” Hooper said. “If we just educated ourselves or thought more deeply about the world, a lot of these situations could be avoided. If we voted for representation more thoughtfully, a lot of these situations could be avoided. So, I started to see the power of school.”

After the program, Hooper went to The University of North Texas and majored in music education. He always considered music a hobby, but when he learned how rigorous the program was, he couldn’t see himself pursuing music as a career. Hooper always loved to read and learn about history because of the lessons it contained, so he switched his major to history.

“High schoolers and even adults are constantly trying to figure out who we are,” Hooper said. “Being a human is messy; it’s tough and sometimes it’s challenging. But it’s a very beautiful thing, too. [When we are] trying to answer that question of what it means to be a human being, [history] gives us the data to try to figure out what the common denominators are.”

When Hooper first began his journey in education, he wasn’t a social person. However, after he began teaching, he was able to break out of his shell. He said he enjoys talking to students and doesn’t worry about speaking in front of larger groups anymore. Junior Krrish Jagatap said Hooper is one of the teachers who has had a lasting impact on him and has become extremely close to.

“He definitely makes a big effort to connect with the students and bond with them because he talks to pretty much everyone,” Jagatap said. “The other day, he was playing a game with us. He’s been doing that for the past few days after the [AP] exam. He’s a really, really kind person.”

Hooper taught at the freshman campus for five years, then left to teach in Georgia. After a few years, he came back to the school’s main campus. He said that he came back because he loved the community. 

“The teachers I work with are all very positive, and they want to be here,” Hooper said. “Ultimately, it’s very diverse here. So, when we’re talking about history, [we are] able to get a diverse range of opinions and backgrounds, whether it’s culturally, ethnically, racially, religious backgrounds or socio-economic. We have a very diverse school here and I love that.”

AP World and European history teacher Morgan Knowles said Hooper is a down-to-earth individual and has had an amazing influence in the social studies department with his knowledge and expertise. 

“It is really difficult to get under Hooper’s skin; he has this very calm demeanor,” Knowles said. “That calming attitude sort of bleeds into everybody else around him. He just makes the room better when he’s there.”

Hooper said he is excited to work in the corporate industry because of how different it is from teaching. He believes that there is a lot of opportunity in the world and that companies and businesses are moving faster than education. He believes that he will come back to teaching eventually, but, for now, he is ecstatic to work in a different environment. 

“I love working with students; they teach me so much about myself, but also just about the world,” Hooper said. “I don’t think they always realize it, but just by being themselves, it really makes my life better.”