Patterns of Civilization and AP World History teacher Steven Duxbury has stood out at Sage Hill through his meaningful lectures and discussions that push students to grow their understanding of history.
Duxbury has been fond of history since a young age. He particularly fell in love with the subject during his seventh-grade experience with a special world history teacher, who was a World War II veteran.
“He had stories of the war that just got me really… excited about history,” Duxbury said.
In college, Duxbury further pursued this passion, majoring in History at Cal State Fullerton. Since then, he has taught at a wide range of schools, totaling 37 years of teaching experience. He started out teaching at smaller Christian middle schools for around 12 years. He then moved to Fairmont Preparatory Academy, working at the middle and later the high school levels. After a 20-year stint with Fairmont, Duxbury started at Sage Hill in 2021.
(Maria Neemuchwala)
In his free time, Duxbury enjoys riding anything on two wheels, like mountain bikes, dirt bikes, and his motorcycle. He also loves watching history related period pieces and documentaries and traveling to new places.
“A main part of my travels is looking at the history of the places I visit,” Duxbury said.
When teaching students, Duxbury loves seeing his students succeed when they commit to something. He especially enjoys witnessing the moment within his students when they experience the “click” and are able to grasp a new concept.
Teaching has taught Duxbury a wide range of lessons, especially with patience. Having a type A personality, he has had the urge for others to get things done in a certain way, but teaching has taught Duxbury to step back and give each person their own time and freedom in their tasks.
Duxbury hopes that students feel that he has helped get them where they need to be, while remaining earnest in fulfilling his job.
“I want to help students achieve their goals and succeed at what they’re doing, and leave a positive impact on their learning experience,” Duxbury said.
