John Hooper, a Kennesaw State instructor of history and a licensed pilot, uses his life experience and love of travel to teach students about the importance of the world’s history.
His desire to teach history began when he was a senior at KSU in 2007. After graduating, Hooper decided to return to KSU to teach history. He believes that his passion for helping people to learn about the world and its history is the key to understanding what is going on in the world today.
“The only reason to teach history is to help people better understand the present and be prepared for whatever they run into in the world,” Hooper says. “I never want my students to go somewhere in the world that they know absolutely nothing about.”
Hooper believes that the key to a successful college career is getting to know your professors so that they get to know you on a first name basis. Most days, Hooper says that he spends his office hours talking to the other professors that are waiting for students to occasionally drop by.
He notes that if more students would come to their professor’s office hours, they would see that professors actually do want to be in contact with their students.
In the classroom, Hooper challenges his students by requiring them to compare and contrast historical facts.
“All facts by themselves are totally useless until you put them in context and use them somehow,” Hooper says. “If you give 100 people access to the same facts, they all will write a different story about them. Stories are more important than facts.”
Although he spent his early years as a coding and software professional, it is his passion for travel that drove him to begin his unconventional journey at KSU,
Hooper began computer programming at 16 years old. Upon leaving high school and pursuing programming, he found himself teaching and leading software projects worldwide.
His career has taken him to China, Africa, Australia, Europe and around America to lead projects for various organizations, including the U.S. Navy. In one instance, his work ethic led him to travel to Europe 27 times over 26 months. After moving to Atlanta to be closer to his wife’s family, he began noticing promotional signs for KSU.
“Every time I’d fly back into town, I’d see the signs for Kennesaw State. I’d never heard of it but one day I decided to check it out,” Hooper says. “The first person that I met when I got here was the director of admissions. I talked to him and asked if I could take one course, and he said he would allow me.
“As I was leaving, he asked my age and I told him that I was 60. He then told me that the Board of Regents authorizes schools to wave tuition fees for senior citizens that are 62 years or older on the day that they register,” Hooper says. “So, I came back and registered on my 62nd birthday.”
Hooper’s hobbies include photography, flying and traveling, in which he has traveled to 14 countries in the past three years. He also flies a Cessna 172 and 182 out of McCollum Airport.
Marquis Holmes contributed to this story.
