There are certain teachers who you will remember for the rest of your life. This could be because of their knowledge or their impact on you. One teacher that I have been lucky enough to study under who exhibits all of this is my history teacher Dr. Robert P. Barnidge. To me, Dr. Barnidge is someone who knows when to have fun and when to focus in and teach. He is very in tune with his knowledge of the world and with politics. It is a pleasure every time I have his class and I feel like I learn a lot when in his class. He has been to thirty-four countries and has been for many different reasons.
“I taught in the UK for 5.5 years, in India for a year, and in Israel a summer course at a university on International Law and Terrorism,” Dr. Barnidge says.
Dr. Barnidge has had many adventures and unique experiences when he has traveled to different countries that he could never have experienced here in the US. One thing he would do on these adventures was present research in conferences in faraway countries. He has done this in Pakistan, Sweden, and Turkey. Although these sounded interesting I also learned he would travel for just recreational purposes at times. Dr. Barnidge told me about how getting away from all the action and just taking in another culture can be very enjoyable.
“Getting off the beaten path in India, for example, having chai and street food with locals, sitting there and reading, just watching people,” was what Dr. Barnidge said when asked about his favorite thing he’s done while overseas.
Dr. Barnidge also talked about some of the bad and risky experiences he had on these trips as well. He had told me about a time when he was spending 5 days in Pakistan and decided to take an overnight bus ride from Lahore to Multan and then took a taxi to Uch Sharif. In this taxi he fell asleep. Luckily nothing happened yet he was not in the best area, and the driver could have easily mugged him if he wanted.
“Looking back, while nothing happened to me, that driver could’ve held me at gun or knifepoint since I was passed out in the back with exhaustion from the bus ride,” Dr. Barnidge says.
Through all of his travels, Dr. Barnidge has been able to take much knowledge of the world and bring it back to his classroom. He talks a lot about how he has been to these different places and is able to give us a better understanding of the places and situations that we will talk about in his class. Dr. Barnidge is a great teacher and is very involved with the Meyer house that he helps lead. House Captain Alpha Bangura (‘24) told me about how it is to be able to work with Dr. Barnidge in the house system.
“He’s great. He brings a lot to the table. Very smart, very wise. He’s very easy to talk to,” Alpha says.
Dr. Barnidge is clearly a person who works hard and is very dedicated to his students here at Chaminade College Preparatory School. He has had so many different experiences traveling around the world to thirty-five different countries and he has been able to bring these experiences and knowledge back to Chaminade. It is a pleasure to have Dr. Barnidge as a teacher.
