Mr. McConnell
In his eight years at Exeter, history instructor Kent McConnell has dedicated himself to his work both in and out of the history department. He’s held positions as a residential faculty member in Webster Hall, an adviser for History Club, a member of the publications committee and a member of the curriculum committee. But where McConnell’s true interests lie are in his work as a historian and teacher.
McConnell’s interest in history traces back to his third grade social studies class, which exposed him to a world far beyond the confines of his rural surroundings. “I grew up in western Pennsylvania which was, at that time, farm and rusty steel country, and so to encounter a whole different world was really neat for me,” he recalled. His fascination with the subject developed as he came to know an oral tradition within his household regarding a great-great-grandfather who fought in the American Civil War. Later stumbling upon documentation of his ancestor, McConnell conducted his own research and discovered that “a lot of it turned out to be true” but some was steeped in mythology. This in turn led him to his studies of the Civil War era.
“He runs the best Harkness class in the school.”
In terms of schooling, McConnell has had, in his words, “a lot of it.” After receiving a bachelor’s degree in history from Westminster College, he earned both a master’s in religion at Yale and a second master’s in history, religion and philosophy at Princeton. McConnell went on to complete a third master’s degree as well as a doctorate at University of Virginia.
While teaching at the college level later on, McConnell came across an advertisement for Exeter and remembers being drawn to the school for two reasons: the Harkness method and the intellectually engaged student body. “You meet students here who are young but in many ways just as mature, if not more mature, than college students,” McConnell explained. Furthermore, he enjoyed being “amongst most students who are conversational, will look you in the face as you speak, and are genuinely interested in what you’re doing.” He recognized that the culture of Exeter, in which students are willing to accept hard work and rigor, is “really special and unique.” This was important for McConnell because he believes that history, like all subjects, requires discipline. “I always say this to my students—it’s called a discipline for a reason.”
McConnell applies this standard of discipline to his own research and writing pursuits outside of the classroom as well. His professors showed him that writing and teaching were equally important and both inform you in what you do. “Frankly, I can’t see doing my job as a teacher any other way,” he explained. And while he admitted that it takes “a ton of energy and time” to write, he pointed out that it allows him to honestly tell students that he has writing deadlines just like them—that he understands their challenges and can help them. Not only does he see his research as a fundamental part of his role as teacher, but he believes that “the best historians are ones who are writing because writing presents a host of problems in the way you understand history and teach history; so they’re intimately related skills.”
Thus, McConnell has succeeded in remaining an active researcher and writer while teaching at Exeter. In addition to giving professional papers on a regular basis, he currently has a prestigious year-long research fellowship concerning the Civil War and was invited to participate in a travelling scholars program for the New Hampshire Humanities Council. McConnell has two forthcoming articles and is finishing a book that the Cambridge University Press will publish.
Noting the depth of his academic undertakings, McConnell’s colleagues in the history department expressed their respect for his work. Describing him as “thoughtful, immensely well-read and articulate,” history instructor Michael Golay said, “I have the utmost respect for him.”
History instructor Betty Luther-Hillman lauded McConnell’s creativity. She said, “he isn’t afraid to break out of the mold of the typical reading assignment and give his students a really challenging academic article or have them do their own primary source research and bring their results to class.” Golay echoed her praise, adding that “he goes his own way, as I do, and I admire him for that.” In the words of history instructor Amy Schwartz, “he is actually a space-time traveller from the 19th century.”
Likewise, McConnell’s students and advisees expressed their highest praise. Senior SP Agata observed that he has always been good at connecting with students “past his academic and adviser duties.” Lower Greg Miller described him as “one of the nicest people on campus” and “one of the smartest people on campus, but he’d never say it himself.” Lower Alan Xie noted that he is “passionate about the subject that he teaches,” while lower Ryan Miller commented, “without a doubt, Mr. McConnell is one of the coolest teachers that I have met here at Exeter.” Greg Miller added “he’s like a real life lumberjack but way smarter,” and went on to compare him to a father figure. Similarly, the lower Miller said, “I love my dad, but if I had to have a dad who couldn’t be my dad now, it would be Mr. McConnell because he’s such an awesome and insanely smart guy.”
For senior Leena Hamad, McConnell has been “really refreshing” because he “cares more about having students understand historical forces and their significance than just sticking to a curriculum.” According to upper Joe Bridges, “he runs the best Harkness class in the school.” Senior Isabel Bagger pointed out that he is not afraid to force his students out of their comfort zones and challenge them. “He seems to be an expert on everything he assigns us, and is able to guide the class very well but at the same time leave plenty of room for us to guide ourselves,” she remarked.
Senior Camden Corso felt that McConnell has opened his mind to the “biased lens through which we view history,” while senior Erik Lee simply described his class as “enlightening.” Though senior Grace Duisberg found him “pretty intimidating” at first, she concluded, “he’s brilliant and he’s encouraging in a way that no other history teachers have been in my experience.” She continued, “in the couple weeks of classes I’ve had him I’ve learned more than I did in any single history class before this.”