Mr. Raoult started beekeeping as a hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now captivated by bees. He claims, “If I had to guess I probably have about 80,000 bees on my property, and just over the weekend, I harvested honey for the first time.” Even though it was his first time harvesting honey, the main goal of beekeeping is trying to keep the bees alive through the winter. Mr. Raoult explains that getting honey is just the bonus of the long strenuous work of keeping bees.
Along with bees, he enjoys poems and the written word. You might even say that he has metromania* Mr. Raoult acted upon his love and worked hard to complete his doctorate for poetry in 2017. He used his education when he was a professor at various colleges, most recently the University of Maryland. He loved being a professor, but he wanted a new teaching opportunity. “When I found out about [Jemicy], I was just really interested in the community. It seemed like a really strong community devoted to a lot of things, and I knew the students were talented and had some challenges. The students also had a lot of gifts and so you know I felt good I could be a good addition.” He found Jemicy and saw a beautiful community that opened their arms to him. He enjoyed being a professor, but now he wants to be a teacher for neurodiverse teenagers with attitude.
Mr. Raoult’s name seems French because he is French. He was born in France and moved to Rochester, New York at the age of three. “I will say that growing up in the summers I would go back to France for about a month, with my grandparents, so it was kind of like there wasn’t an initial culture shock that we’re talking about. But every year, I would have a shock, be like, Oh, yeah that’s right we do things like this here, back to the states and be like, Oh, it’s like this here.” Now if the reader wants to get into the nitty gritty of the culture shock Mr. Raoult experienced. He would most definitely detail them to anyone. He does love a good conversation.
Teaching is one of his favorite things and I asked what he enjoyed about teaching english.
“Language is really, it’s always kind of moving, it’s always really dynamic. It’s kind of like a river you know it’s kind of like you jump in it, and then you kind of see what’s happening. And then that kind of gives you a sense of where you might wind up, but not necessarily. You could capsize or whatnot.” The love of teaching helps Mr.Raoult be the best he can at being a poet.
He believes “it’s about sharing my own perspective in terms of what I’m seeing.” He also wants to interact with the students in class and see their thoughts on literature and perspectives. Even though he is a man of many words, listening is one of the best attributes that Mr.Raoult has. Jemicy is always looking for teachers with great attitudes and Mr.Raoult is a perfect addition to Jemicy.
*Metromania is a mania of writing verses.
MOOSE PRINTS 