Hugo Turcotte: Preaching Discipline and Fun

(above) Hugo Turcotte in April after winning the French hockey league championship while playing for the Corsaires de Nantes.

Hugo Turcotte ’15 is starting his teaching career at the Winchendon School in Massachusetts this fall. Most recently, Hugo played hockey in France with the Corsaires de Nantes, who won the league championship in April. Ending on this high note, Hugo decided to hang up his goalie pads for good and return to New England to teach.

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Hugo is no stranger to boarding school, having lived at Cardigan twice, during his parents’ tenure as faculty members from 2008–10 and again from 2013–22. After graduating from Cardigan in 2015, he attended Kimball Union Academy—where his team won the NEPSAC hockey championship three years in a row—and then St. Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont.

Please share your thoughts on the state of education in the United States.

This is a great question! Since I have been abroad for the past two years, I have been out of the American educational loop. I am looking forward to experiencing it again, and perhaps seeing how things have changed since my time in school. I believe that the American educational system gives students the freedom to choose what they want to study. Unlike in France, where students often have to choose a specific area of focus when nearing the end of high school, students in America (in my opinion) have a greater say in their education due to the freedom in their curriculum.

Lastly, more and more diverse books are used to illustrate the different perspectives that are much needed in our ever-evolving world. Diversity in materials breeds a better understanding of the world around us.

What do you expect will be the hardest part of your job?

To be quite honest, I think the hardest part of the job will be establishing some sort of work-life balance. Having attended and lived on boarding school campuses, the line between work and personal life can quickly blur. I plan to make a conscious effort to do my best to separate the two as much as I can.

What are you most looking forward to as you begin your career?

I am looking forward to helping students realize their goals, whatever they may be. I want to be a resource for them. I have lived at, attended, and experienced boarding school, so I have an intimate understanding of what they are going through.

From an educational perspective, I am looking forward to introducing students to the beautiful French language, and the Francophone countries that speak the language. I want them to gain an appreciation and understanding of the language, which will hopefully come in handy when they decide to travel one day. Athletically, I want to put my past experiences to good use and help athletes reach their goals. I want to be a key person in their athletic development.

Which former teacher inspired you to teach?

I had this one particular Spanish teacher at Kimball Union Academy, Tom Kardel (who just retired this year). He made Spanish the best class of the day. He put lots of effort and time into creating engaging classroom materials and, more importantly, hands-on activities. He created a murder mystery plot in which we had to find a killer amongst our  classmates, all while speaking in Spanish. It made learning fun, engaging, and almost effortless. I wouldn’t say he inspired me to teach, but his teaching style definitely played a role in what I want to bring to the classroom.

Does your Cardigan education reflect your current teaching style?

I just think Cardigan’s overall approach to discipline and attention to detail will be reflected in my teaching style. At Cardigan we were always taught to be disciplined and detailed with what we did; I believe that these two crucial habits have been a key part of my life ever since. I will preach discipline and fun in the classroom and on the ice, all the while paying attention to details. Consistency compounds, details matter, and fun will follow.