In the world of education, there are teachers who teach and those who leave a lasting imprint on their students’ lives. All Pace students who took Dr. DuPree’s class can agree that Dr. Dupree belongs to the latter category. As he bids farewell to an impactful teaching career, his students, colleagues and the Pace community celebrate a man whose passion in the classroom has left a lasting impression on close to everyone he’s taught.
Dr. Dupree’s journey into teaching was anything but planned. Born into a family of lawyers, it was expected that he too would follow in their footsteps. But following his strict grandfather’s passing, his father encouraged him to forge his own path and he did just that. “Teaching was an accident,” Dr. DuPree said in a recent interview, but one that changed countless lives for the better.
Throughout his career, Dr. Dupree has been known for imploring creativity and assertive writing. He aimed not only to teach the mechanics and grammar of English but also to inspire his students to explore their own voices. “I hope my students don’t limit themselves,” he shared, emphasizing the importance of his central theme, imaginative thinking and writing. He hopes future educators will nurture these same qualities, and give what he calls “the nudge” to help students uncover their latent writing potential.
Dr. Dupree’s classroom was a haven for the sophomores, or as he calls them, “the wise fools,” to explore the enchanting world of magical realism through novels such as Beowulf and Harry Potter. “Dr. DuPree’s class was a roller coaster,” said former student Rory Lee. Yet Dr. DuPree humbly admits that his approach to teaching didn’t resonate with everyone. “My class works for some people and doesn’t work for others,” he acknowledged.
Dr. Dupree’s advice to current and future teachers as he reflects on his own career is the following: inspire creativity, be patient, and give students the “nudge.” When asked again how he hopes to be remembered, he simply said, “As the one who gave the nudge.” To Dr. DuPree, giving the nudge is about encouraging and enabling his students to take a leap and begin their journey of assertive, dramatic, and entertaining writing. His students will surely remember more about his class than the first 18 lines of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.
As he steps away from teaching each sophomore class, Dr. Dupree leaves with us a powerful reminder that educators play a role not just in shaping students’ academic success, but in their students’ personal growth. His story is a testament to the transformative power of teaching, even, as in his case, when it comes about by accident.