Gallery • 8 Photos

Photographer: Garret Robbins

Wings

In America, the average teen is expected to move out of the family house by the age of 19 or so.  However, Garret Robbins moved out of his parents’ home at the age of 17. He went to live with his friend in Trinidad and Tobago for a semester.

At first glance, six months may not seem like a long time, but this was Mr. Robbins’ first experience living on his own without any family.

He described his days there as carefree and fulfilling, as at the time his education level was much higher than that required at the school he was attending, and he didn’t have to work hard to do well. 

An average day for Mr. Robbins would involve attending school for five hours, followed by a day at the beach. Unbeknownst to many, Trinidad and Tobago has some of the best beaches in the Caribbean, and Mr. Robbins did not waste his opportunities. He could be found on the beach surfing with friends, or socializing with the locals while playing a game of cricket.

In the end, Mr. Robbins refers to this experience as the catalyst that made him want to see the world and live away from the States. Eventually, he would earn his degree and begin working as an admissions officer for a university. When Mr. Robbins realized that he wanted to shape the young minds of high schoolers, he switched professions and started to look for work as a teacher.

When he found a teaching job at a private school in Paraguay, he decided to embark on a new chapter of his life.

Other than teaching math at ASD now, what does Mr. Robbins do?

Mr. Robbins shares many interests with most of his students. Although it might be a surprise to some, Mr. Robbins possesses an innate ability to draw. He figured out that he had this talent when he was extremely bored in his own high school class. He slowly started to drift off, and his hands started to move. When he went back to review, he noticed that there was nothing to review, as all his notes were doodles.

He says that from that day on he would find himself doodling whenever he was losing focus. To this day, he keeps drawing and doodling. He has published his doodles online and shared them with friends. His work can be viewed in this folder, and you can find his drawing published online.

What about sports?

Another of Mr. Robbins’ primary interests is football. He considers himself first and foremost a fan of the beautiful game, and a coach second. He is a fervent supporter of Chelsea FC, who play in the British first division. As an avid fan, Mr. Robbins follows what is going on in football. He checks for transfer news and rumors and results of games whenever he is unable to watch the game. With Chelsea FC’s current downward string of results, Mr. Robbins is having a hard time.

He considers being a fan to “follow a team no matter what they are currently doing.” Mr. Robbins “enjoys keeping up with the sport,” he said. He likes to follow players on both a club and international level, and he considers football an investment. As a fan, he loves to critique players, managers, and clubs. As a critic of football, he loves to discuss what happened in matches, and how certain teams could have played better and improved. 

Because of his enjoyment of the analysis of football, Mr. Robbins wanted to become a coach while he teaches. He is the coach of the varsity girls’ team here at ASD. 

As a high school coach, Mr. Robbins is extremely accomplished; in the past two years, his varsity girls’ team brought home the gold and silver from MESAC tournaments. He has enjoyed the transition from being a fan to coaching, and he loves the experience of communicating with players and setting up tactics to be utilized in matches.

He considers coaching to be something that he does “for fun, but at the same time they [varsity girls] want to be the best players that they can be.

“It’s really fun to be able to play football with them,” he said. When football season starts, he considers the practice to be “a highlight of my day.” Since last year’s varsity girls team came in second place, Coach Robbins is aiming to get back on top and believes that this year his team can improve on their accomplishments.