Mr. Davies is an enigma of a man. Throughout my 4 years at Sahuaro, and my 2 years having Mr. Davies as a teacher, he’s evoked curiosity in me. Senior Mariana Flores and I sat down with Mr. Davies to feed that exact curiosity, while also wanting to gain an understanding of who Mr. Davies is. 

He was born and raised in Michigan, and went to college in Sweden. “The university [Uppsala] has a good history program.” He added, “Plus, it was cheap.” An important thing to note about Mr. Davies is that he didn’t go into teaching immediately after earning his degree [in History and Economics], but instead entered the world of being a DJ. “I started working in radio and fell in love with it. I was in charge of the rock and metal, and from that, I met a lot of bands.” He poses questions to Mariana and I, asking if we’d “Ever heard of Anthrax or Cattle Decapitation?” to which we respond with a head shake. “I also met Slayer, which was neat,” he says with a slight smile smacked across his face. While he doesn’t do radio anymore, he still DJ’s as a side hobby. From surf to electronic music, his DJ’ing skills range across the board. Simply put, “I play whatever they want.”  

After earning his degree, not only did he DJ, but started his own business. Amidst the 2008 financial crisis, he decided that he would capitalize off of it. It was a simple formula; people couldn’t buy computers, so he would fix the ones they already had. “It was lucrative, but required a lot of hard work,” he says. Once the economy picked up, people started buying computers so he “thought it was time to move on.” His next destination? Teaching.

Prior to his high school teaching, he taught reading to 3rd graders. As he explains, “That taught me how to be patient with students.” Flash forward to current day, where he teaches a range of subjects including Economics, APUSH, and Government. His favorite part about teaching are the breaks, and more specifically, summer break. “What job do you get 10 weeks off in the summer!” he laughs. His least favorite part about teaching? Mr. Davies pondered at this question and laughed. In short, it’s up in the air, so you can use your imagination.

There’s one question that hasn’t been resolved, and this interview wouldn’t be complete if Mariana and I didn’t seek out the answer. Where in the world does Mr. Davies get his socks from? “My mother buys my socks! I get a new pair every year for my birthday and Christmas. The secret? I specifically ask for something dumb,” he says.

To end it off, Mariana asks, “If he had a superpower, what would it be and why” to which Mr. Davies responds with, “I would be able to cook any food. I wanna be a good magician because I like cooking and eating food.”

Long story short, Mr. Davies is incredibly multi-faceted. And one heck of a DJ.