Dr. Chaput’s “History”
A new faculty member of Western Reserve Academy’s social science department and a dorm head of Bicknell, Dr. Erik Chaput teaches United States History and CL Frederick Douglass at WRA. Born and raised in Rhode Island, he has always been fascinated with the history behind Rhode Island and America.
Dr. Chaput also actively participated in dorm culture in his two previous boarding schools. Being part of Northfield Mount Hermon and Lawrenceville School throughout his teaching career, Dr. Chaput was involved in Christian Fellowship Student Organizations in both schools and was part of their dorm as a resident. This active involvement in student life is why Dr. Chaput chose and continued to teach in a boarding school environment.
Dr. Chaput quotes in his article at the Providence Journal, “if they shut down debate and dismiss opposing views, they lose the ability to explain anything that happens over time, relying on weak and ineffectual metaphors. We must not be, as the abolitionist Frederick Douglass noted after the Civil War, ‘apostles of forgetfulness,’” highlighting the importance of viewing the different spheres of U.S. History and as a writer and a teacher, he strives for embracing these differences. Dr. Chaput is a writer currently working on his book about Frederick Douglass.
– Renee Oh ’22
The Reserve Record 