On Saturday nights, careers and tech ed teacher Ed Wiser can be found in an ambulance, helping people who are sick or in need of emergency medical attention. The very next day, he may be on the slopes of Wachusett Mountain helping those with ski-related injuries. On Monday, he shares his vast experiences with the excited students of the Medical Careers class.
Wiser, the current teacher of Medical Careers, Woodworking and Robotics, began teaching in 1995 as a student teacher and worked his way to being the Science Curriculum Coordinator for 18 years. Recently, he was certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and has begun volunteering at Wachusett Mountain on the ski patrol. Last year, he stepped down from the Curriculum Coordinator position so that he could spend more time on these side gigs which enhance his teaching by providing real-life stories to share with his Medical Careers class. His ultimate goal is to expand the Medical Careers program to enable students to obtain EMT certification.
The Brookline Education Foundation (BEF), a non-profit organization that funds teacher professional development, has funded many of Wiser’s endeavors. He used grant money to attend Quinsigamond Community College and earn his EMT certification – on top of his two prior master’s degrees. He now works for Coastal Medical Transportation Systems, also known as Coastal Ambulance, once a week.
“One of the reasons why I wanted to work for them is because they work in Brookline and hopefully I can get a connection between them and something for the students,” Wiser said. “My goal is to eventually have students be able to become EMTs right from high school.”
According to Wiser, EMT training is difficult to implement because it is a different type of teaching from what regular teachers do. If he is successful in organizing the training, students will be able to obtain their EMT certification as soon as they turn 18.
“Some states would want them to retest here and there, but you could become an EMT and get a job right out of [BHS],” Wiser said.
Wiser said that the best part about being an EMT and being on the Wachusett ski patrol is that it makes him a better teacher by having real, recent experiences that he can share with his Medical Careers class. Sophomore Jordan Gifford is in one of those classes and she said she finds that Wiser’s stories make for an engaging experience.
“Every Monday, we get to hear about what he did over the weekends and all his different calls as an EMT,” Gifford said. “It’s really interesting because he brings a different perspective that not a lot of teachers have because he actually has experience doing what he’s teaching.”
Wiser said he has had a lot of fun on ski patrol in particular because he gets more experience with trauma cases than he does as an EMT. He also said that throughout his experiences, he has met many interesting people.
“My usual [ski patrol] partner is an English major, and he’s doing this to pay his way through college. He is so good with the patients. And we support each other; we’re constantly watching each other’s backs and helping out,” Wiser said.
Biology teacher Elizabeth Crane has known Wiser since she started working at the high school 23 years ago. She said Wiser has shown that even after working somewhere for a long time, there is still room to redefine your role.
“It was kind of inspiring to think that you don’t have to be 25 years old to start something new. And you don’t have to just keep climbing some imaginary ladder of power or status,” Crane said. “You can have an administrative position for a long time and then decide: ‘This isn’t what I want to do right now.’”
Crane said she thinks Wiser’s idea of training students to be EMT certified as a part of the Medical Careers program would attract a lot of interest from students and parents.
“I think it’s innovative and real-world. And I think anything like that is attractive and interesting,” Crane said. “I don’t know of other schools in the area that offer such a thing, and it would be cool to be at the forefront of having that be part of a high school curriculum.”
