Josh Wegener’s passion for the subject of U.S. history brought him to teach, but his passion for small town life brought him home to Buchanan.

While his career in teaching didn’t begin in the town he grew up in — in the school he once attended and graduated from — he cannot see himself anywhere else.

The Buchanan native traveled around a bit, living in bigger cities like Chicago, Grand Rapids and South Bend. When he and his wife started to have a family, they knew they had to make a move.

“It was amazing coming back because some of the teachers that taught me were still here,” Wegener said. They were my inspiration, and great mentors. They really helped me out my first couple of years. It is inspiring to see them still here enjoying their jobs, which speaks a lot to the school system.”

In his seventh year of teaching freshman U.S. history at Buchanan High School, Wegener is even more passionate today than he was when he started his career more than 13 years ago. He loves to interact with his students and offer them real-life learning experiences whenever possible.

The educator eagerly shares his passion for teaching American history in all sorts of innovative ways — from his lessons in trench warfare, where he allows the students to turn over the desks and create “soft projectiles” from paper wads, to role playing characters in history and acting out the silliest of cartoons. No matter what method he uses to instruct his classes, he said he knows he has to be on top of his game to compete in this world of ever-changing social media.

“Oftentimes the kids are the best director of the lessons. They ask a question and think I’m an all-knowing Encyclopedia (though I know they don’t even know what that is), so we look it up,” Wegener said.

He and his students will then use the tools they have and search the internet, and determine first of all, if the information they find comes from a credible source, and finally, if they can all draw the same conclusion.

In a time when teachers can clearly be overwhelmed by the amount of outside influences in their students’ lives, Wegener said he is embracing what the worldwide web can bring to his classroom.

“We have access to primary and secondary documents we never had access to before,” he said. “We can participate in virtual tours of places around the world, right from our desks in this classroom.”

In the more than decade since Wegener began teaching, more than just the classroom has changed. The way students are able to prepare work and interact with teachers for grades has become better than he ever imagined.

“I feel like we have a greater variety of opportunities and projects and ways to express ourselves,” Wegener said. “No longer is it just ‘write an essay.’ We can now have the kids create a movie, or create a quizzlet, or whatever format they want to present their information. … They are all different types of learners, and it is OK for them to express themselves differently.”

While Wegener said he is admittedly still a pen-and-paper driven teacher with an emphasis on textbooks, he welcomes the changing dynamic of his classroom and loves to explore new opportunities of learning with his students.

“I’m always motivating them to learn,” he said.

To put it in perspective, Wegener explains that for the ninth graders, talking about the First Amendment is very relevant to social media. Talking about economic policies is also relevant because a lot of his students are starting to get jobs and pay taxes.

“It is all about finding that connection, and they’ll tell you what that connection is. You just have to listen as a teacher,” Wegener said.

He hopes his students realize the importance of being good citizens and well-rounded thinkers.

“The future of this town stays in your hands now, and take good care of it,” Wegener advises his students. “Know what reliable sources are, that memes are funny but not always true, and to be life-long learners.”