Former social studies teacher, and current assistant wrestling coach, Mr. Gerry Bakke is known for his strong opinionated views of the American society.
Bakke, a long time favorite of many students in the social studies department returned on Friday, January 29 to talk to Todd Manninen’s Diversity Studies Class. His energetic discussion typified the way he rad the class in the past.
Wrestling Coach and EBD Teacher Jason Maurer is a former Bakke student who now teaches at BHS. He pointed out how, even if students weren’t in his class, they knew who he was. Giving one of his well known, and feared speeches for an unsuspecting first block high school class.
“He’s larger than life in the best way,” said Maurer. “Though his teaching style is very unorthodox.”
Splitting the room in three groups, he moved about the front building your opinions up and tearing them down piece by piece. Throwing all the different questions: what, how, and why, getting the true reasoning for their straightforward explanations.
“During a point in one of his speeches I ended up hitting a ruler against the wall,”Manninen explained, as he paced back and forth around the room during his first block class. “It was getting out of control!”
Never shy about sharing his opinion of various topics brought up by student and teacher alike, he is the definition of spontaneous. Moving student to student getting up close and personal in an attempt to rile them up enough where they were yelling in his face just as loud as he was in theirs.
When sitting through one of his exuberant speeches, students were never disappointed. With politically incorrect videos, to directly shouting obscenities while mocking the stereotypical views voiced in incompetent statements. It’s a free for all many students wouldn’t want to miss.
