Published Nov. 7, 2022
BY EMMA BROWN
Greek philosopher Aristotle theorized that a virtuous person would inherently act ethically, behaving in the best interest of themselves and others. The path to virtuosity is uncharted–a virtuous person would already know how to behave–but the destination is clear: eudaimonia, or the pinnacle of morality, goodness and human excellence. Philosophy teacher Marc Stafford reached eudaimonia long ago through the kindness he shows to his coworkers, his dedication to his students, his loyalty to his friends and his love for his family.
A true Renaissance man, Carmel High School’s history, AVID and philosophy teacher refuses to be defined by a single characteristic. Instead, he embraces the diversity of his interests and talents, and he imparts his hard-earned knowledge on to his students. At CHS, Stafford is the staff adviser for the Singer-Songwriter Guild, Ethics Bowl and the Great Outdoors Club.
“My three clubs are all ways for me to align my passions with my career,” Stafford explains.
At CHS, Stafford teaches a dual-enrollment United States history class with Monterey Peninsula College. The instructor’s expertise in the subject comes from his masters in post-Civil War American history, and his excitement about sharing his knowledge of the country’s past invigorates students.
Though Stafford’s engaging teaching style has incoming juniors crossing their fingers to see his name on their schedules, his devotion to the wellbeing of his students is what makes him one of the most beloved instructors on campus. At the beginning of each class, the historian asks his students to rate how they are doing on a scale of one to ten, to allow them to reflect on their emotional state and get insight into their lives.
“Mr. Stafford always cared and could tell when people were having a bad day,” says senior Abby Shipnuck, who had Stafford for MPC U.S. History during her junior year. “He compliments students on the things that they’re doing well. Last year, he told me that he saw my writing improving and that it made a big difference. He always would say, ‘Good job!’ Those little things matter a lot to kids.”
While at college, Stafford fell in love with philosophy after taking an introductory course on critical thinking. After encouragement from his professor, the Chico State graduate followed his passion and graduated with a minor in philosophy. As the Ethics Bowl advisor, his expertise in philosophy has carried the club to success over the years, but his dedication to his students is what has made the group so tightly-knit and popular at CHS.
(courtesy of MARC STAFFORD)
“After Ethics Bowl competitions, we would go to Marianne’s Ice Cream in Santa Cruz,” says former Ethics Bowl president Cassie Gorman, now an undergraduate student at U.C. Davis. “During my senior year, we were in quarantine so we had online competitions, and Mr. Stafford got all of us pints of Marianne’s and had us pick them up after our tournament.”
Stafford’s enthusiasm is as boundless as his interests, making him a prime candidate to take on the responsibility of yet another club: The Great Outdoors. For students interested in getting out in nature and experiencing the beauty of California’s Central Coast, the outdoorsman is happy to guide them into the wilderness and show them how to take in all that the natural world has to offer.
Before Stafford knew that he wanted to be a teacher, he already knew that he wanted to play music. Starting in high school, the musician began learning the guitar and formed the band Buffalo Creek with his friends. The group eventually transitioned to college, where Stafford continued to play at Chico State University, as well as after his graduation.
Today, the guitarist continues to perform every weekend, now with a group of his coworkers called the Bubba Pickens Band. When the group was founded, Stafford and former CHS math teacher Mike Deckelmann decided to each learn a new instrument, with the history instructor choosing the banjo and Deckelmann on the mandolin.
As the adviser for the Singer-Songwriter Guild, the musician often plays with students, as well as helps them compose their own works. While music played a formative role in Stafford’s young adulthood, it was going to college that set him on his current trajectory.
“College is where I really fell in love with learning and being a good student,” Stafford says.
Though originally an undeclared major, the future philosopher always gravitated towards humanities classes, particularly history, in which he ultimately earned a bachelor’s degree. It was his decision to major in history that put him on the path to teaching.
“My counselor told me that I could do a history major with a social studies pre-credential option, which means if I decided I wanted to teach, I could take all these classes and then apply to a credential program,” the teacher explains. “Then I wouldn’t have to take all these extra tests to teach any high school level social studies class.”
Stafford settled down in the Carmel area with his high school sweetheart and wife, Molly, where they are raising their two children, 12-year-old Liam and 10-year-old Adeline.
The teacher recently requested time off for a sabbatical during next school year, during which time the Stafford family would move to South America for 10 months, before returning to Carmel.
