Dr. Eddie Weller fell in love with teaching after taking his former professor Ben Proctor’s advice to give it a try.
Thirty-five years later, Weller is still going strong as the San Jacinto College Honors Program director and National Collegiate Honors Council president.
“Nothing gets me more excited than seeing the kind of change taking a history class can inspire in someone,” Weller said. “History teaches you to think critically. The honors program wants you to question why something happened, not just memorize everything. That’s what both history and honors have in common.”
Dr. Eddie Weller
Paying kindness forward
Weller made his mark when he started the College’s honors program in 1996.
“Our students participate in several events like the National Conference for Undergraduate Research, the premier research conference in America,” he said. “Last year, out of about 89 community college presentations, 22 were from San Jac. That sets us apart.”
Weller’s career is a testament to a teacher’s kindness.
“Ben Proctor invested his life in my life and changed my whole trajectory. He cared deeply,” Weller said. “I do it to pay back even just a small portion of what he gave to me because I know what a significant impact that effort can have on a student’s future.”
Weller credits San Jac’s “amazing faculty members” for the honors program’s success. They continuously find ways to boost student success, such as mentoring them throughout the research paper process. Many of these papers have won awards and publication on both state and national levels.
As a co-sponsor of the Walter Prescott Webb Historical Society since 1989, Weller has taken students on trips all over Texas. An honors summer course offers international travel, most recently to Madrid and Barcelona.
“You give up a lot of time on weekends for it, but it’s worth it,” he said. “The trips and conferences allow students to see history come to life, which often changes their perspectives.”
Always focused on student success
What keeps Weller at San Jac? He enjoys working with students most of all.
Weller gives essay exams, which he counts twice, and someone once told him this approach seems like so much work, so why do it?
“The day I stop giving essay exams is the day I retire,” Weller said. “Because in history, you’ve got to be able to tell that story. You’ve got to be able to understand cause and effect and understand why something happened, and I could never do that in multiple-choice tests, but I can in essays, and my students can.”
He has seen great progress using this method as some students don’t have much luck at first but end up excelling by finals.
“I’ll drop one of the first test grades, so I’ve had people come in with an F on the first test and end up with an A in the class,” he said.
Career-wise, Weller feels fulfilled and fortunate for many valuable opportunities.
“I’m president this year of the National Collegiate Honors Council, which makes me the sixth one in 60 years from a community college,” he said. “I’ve often been the first community college person to do something — first to be president of the Southwestern Historical Association and the Southwestern Social Science Association and first to be an officer of the Texas State Historical Association when I was secretary.”
Weller praises the College’s unwavering support for allowing him to accomplish so much in his career.
Future plans
Weller doesn’t have anything else on his radar other than having fun at San Jac, doing what he loves, and promoting a fun and engaging learning environment for students.
“That’s where I really see the rest of my career going, however long that may be,” he said.
By Neesha Hosein
