Choosing a career can be a difficult decision for some people, but not for long-time teacher Paul Durietz.
By age 11, he was absolutely certain he wanted to be a social studies teacher.
“I would talk with my father who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and he got a Purple Heart,” he said. “He would tell me all his war experiences…that got me going.”
It was Sept. 1970 when Paul first walked into a classroom at Woodland Middle School in Gurnee.Richard Nixon was president and to make copies, Paul had to use something called a Ditto machine.
“Vietnam was still going on, it was a crazy time,” he said
Now, at age 76, Paul is still teaching at Woodland.
“It just keeps you going because you never know what to expect every day.”
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Guinness World Records has named Paul the longest working social studies teacher in the world, with 53 years on the job. The honor took him by surprise.
“In fact, I didn’t believe it at first,” he said.
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Paul’s love of history and teaching has inspired former students to follow in his footsteps. One of his daughters even became a teacher, but has since retired, something that Paul has no intention of doing any time soon.
His advice to aspiring teachers: have lots of passion and patience.
“You have to be patient with students – it is not a job – it is a lifestyle," he said.
