Only Kurt Webb could describe the feeling of crawling into the ceramics classroom at South on a Saturday through a slightly cracked open window. Webb, South ceramics teacher, has been in love with ceramics since the beginning of his high school career, and he is seen by his colleagues and students as much more than an average arts teacher.

“I used to set the windows so the janitors wouldn’t notice over the weekend, and I would climb in on Saturday mornings and work with clay, and when I saw people coming I would get down below the tables so no one would come in to stop me,” Webb said.

Webb described the moment when he first became interested in ceramics.

“I was taking a lot of architecture classes in high school, and the door from the architecture room was right next to the door to the ceramics room, and they always seemed like they were having a lot more fun,” Webb said. “I just kept seeing such a nice atmosphere in that classroom, which is one of the reasons why I decided to try it.”

Senior Mary Friedman, who is currently in Ceramics 2, explained how Webb’s experience shines through in the classroom.

“I can tell by his character that he has had a lot of experience in ceramics because he’s not like normal teachers that seem to value grades more than anything else,” Friedman said. “He just wants you to discover your interests and enjoy the experience overall.”

Sophomore Eleni Pappas described Webb’s personality as the main reason she enjoys the class.

“I enjoy it so much because of the environment, especially after a long day,” Pappas said. “This atmosphere in ceramics is created through the amazing stories that Mr. Webb tells the class about his traveling.”

Natalie Ingaunis, Webb’s coworker of 17 years, believes his travels have had a great effect on his character.

“His travels to Japan and Australia greatly influenced him as a person,” Ingaunis said. “The exposure and working with Japanese potters and the work that he did while he was in Australia gave him so much hands-on information that people don’t get in college, which makes him so experienced with his job.”

Friedman explained how he incorporates his stories and knowledge on the other parts of the world in the classroom.

“He’s taught us a lot of techniques that I feel like he wouldn’t know if he hadn’t traveled and learned so much from different places around the world,” Friedman said. “He wouldn’t be close to the same guy without his travels and insight.”

Webb explained that though his travels out of the country were amazing and different, his favorite experiences are the ones he has had traveling within the country.

“My mom and dad, when we traveled down state, they wouldn’t take an interstate,” Webb said. “We would often take side roads and we would end up in places that people probably don’t even know exist. They would look completely different, a lot of poverty and segregation, and separation of wealth and poor, but that never held back my parents because they wanted me to see what America was.”

Friedman believes that these experiences have a large impact on his way of being today.

Webb described how his adventures not only affected his personal character but his outlook and perspective on the rest of the world.

“It really shed light into a different way of seeing this country,” Webb said. “It wasn’t the tourist way of seeing it; to me they were adventures, and it wasn’t always wonderful. Sometimes it was really heartbreaking for me to see, but that’s what really opened my eyes to all of my opportunities.”

According to Stephanie Fuja, Webb’s coworker of five years, his experiences and travels make him the perfect fit for his position as a ceramics teacher.

“He has always been a very open person to anyone and everyone,” Fuja said. “He inspires his students greatly through the stories and insight he gives them about the world around them, which really supports why he’s a great teacher overall.”

Furthermore, Ingaunis believes the character Webb has developed throughout his travels makes him a great teacher for South’s ELL program.

“His travels have really made him an excellent choice for teaching our ELL program students,” Ingaunis said. “They’re of such a great diversity and he embraces and he really enjoys working with them and sharing his passion with them. He’s a very passionate person and very intense, and he takes what he does very seriously.”

According to Webb, his travels gave him a story and made him see the world from a new point of view. He began to see things in a bigger, more meaningful way, which made him want to share these experiences with his students so they could be encouraged to do the same.

Webb shared what he wants his students to learn from his stories.

“I want to teach my students to take acceptable risk, not risk that leads to any harm, but trying foods that you wouldn’t normally try or talking to someone you wouldn’t normally talk to,” Webb said. “Seeing the world from a different perspective can change everything you value and what kind of character you are.”