As the academic year comes to an end, several staff members prepare to leave. Hence, The Woodstocker caught up with some of them to dig into their thoughts and future endeavors.
Mr. David and Mrs. Heather Webb, the married couple who came to Woodstock, seven years ago in July 2011, will be leaving the campus with one added member to their family: Jyoti Webb.
Mr. and Mrs. Webb felt a “sense of call to come to Woodstock; to show and teach God’s love to the people in the community.” That is the reason why they came to the school. Even though their family was certain that coming to India was not the best career move for them, the couple felt that “this is where God wanted [them] to be.”
Mrs. Webb has taught General Music, Tiger Percussion, and Early Years Choir. She has “absolutely loved teaching the students here.” She said, “The seven years have been a very pleasurable experience because students have wanted to learn, explore and create music together.”
Being in the classroom and teaching students is something Mrs. Webb loves doing. “Teaching students from ECP up until Grade 7, students can be very comical and joyous,” she said. Otherwise, she adores spending time with her family.
“I have definitely become more crafty and resourceful, here at Woodstock,” said Mrs. Webb. For example, she organized a puppet show with the Early Years once and she realized that she had to make the puppets herself. “It was something I would have never done living in America but living in Mussoorie; I accepted it and learned from it,” said Mrs. Webb. She said that people “might not always get what they think they might need,” but it’s crucial to learn to adjust and be happy in what one receives.
Mr. Webb has taught Social Studies, Religious Education to the Middle Years’ students, and has served as the Chaplain in the school. According to him, he doesn’t have a “set of favorite students,” but he likes the students who do their work “properly and timely.” The students who bother him at times are the ones who “waste their opportunity here at Woodstock.” He mentioned a time when he “caught Subho copying homework, which made [him] pretty angry.”
Despite having “many” angry moments, Mr. Webb also came across “many more” happy times. One of his funniest moments here was when “Ameya Singh, Class of 2018, dressed up as a pharaoh for Egyptian Day in her social studies class.” Mr. Webb said that he had no idea of “how good a makeup artist she was” until she came to class that day.
Furthermore, he also enjoys the Christmas programmes held every year. His favorite moment was when Kyutae Kyung, Class of 2021, “decided to become a penguin to represent Antarctica as a joke in one of the plays.”
Mr. Webb has much more to himself than just being a teacher; he is a great musician too. He plays the trumpet, tuba, and the electric bass; at Woodstock, he has even learned how to play the double bass. He is also extremely passionate about sports. In his free time, he watches different sports and on “rare occasions,” gets the “chance to play basketball and tennis too.”
The reason why the couple is leaving the school is that they feel the need to “put some roots down in Jyoti,” their daughter, as she is “in the process of becoming an American citizen.” Mrs. Webb added, “India will always be a part of who she is who we are as a family because our family was formed here, but we also know that being an American is also a part of who she is, so we want her to experience that as well. It’s just really time for our family.”
When asked about their last words to the Woodstock community, Mrs. Webb just wanted to say express her gratitude. “Everybody has been so lovely to me, to Mr. Webb, to our family. We really feel like we have been embraced here,” she said. Unlike a lot of other people, she does not think that the mountains are what makes the school and the campus beautiful. She said, “The true beauty that is here, is amongst the people.”
Moreover, she said that the environment at Woodstock is all about love, and support which everybody gets through hard and difficult times.“That is where Woodstock really shines and will be something we want to seek when we go back to America,” she said.
Mr. Webb said, “We have had a good season of service here, and that, we are being called to something else at this point in time. I have been privileged to serve here for 7 years, and I wish everybody all the best in the future. I want students here to learn that life is not all about them, but about doing something good for someone else. Just helping others.”
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