"My job really isn't to teach [students] pre-calculus. My job really isn't to get them to win the 100-meter dash. My job is to be a support for them, to serve them, and to look out for their best interests. And that's what I try really hard to do every day." //

Jeff Gouline '00 is the Chair of the Mathematics Department at Gilman School and a character education coach for student-athletes. He's a committed mentor, devoted advisor, talented pastry chef, long-distance runner, and the antithesis of a box-checker. //

In Episode #26 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Jeff discuss supporting students emotionally during the pandemic, misconceptions about math, being an athlete at Swarthmore College, the unlikely combination of math and history at UVA, Upward Bound under Bill Greene, Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Jeff's first day of teaching, impactful teachers during Jeff's time as a Gilman student, Peter Julius's writing standards, deeper meanings in literature, Jordan Peterson on life as a series of games, team versus individual sports, the reason schools emphasize athletics, the philosophy of Joe Ehrmann, manhood as a structure, Jeff's daily motivations, having a deeper sense of purpose, the power of listening, Jeff's life-altering experience reading "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers, and apple pot pie! //

Enjoy the episode? Don't forget to subscribe and follow @pathtofollowpod on all platforms. Many more episodes to come! //

Thank you for listening! And as always, thank you to Cesare Ciccanti for the visuals.