KITSAP COUNTY, Wash — After teaching history for 47 years, JD Sweet’s career is nearly history.
Tuesday will mark Sweet’s final day as a teacher at Olympic High School, where he’s taught social studies for the past three years.
For three decades before that, Sweet taught at Central Kitsap High School. Hired in 1977, he was the school’s only Black teacher.
He said students, parents, and even co-workers, “weren’t happy with my presence there,” resulting in complaints and criticism.
“It was the first time, I’m sure, there were white students that had a Black person in a position of authority over them,” Sweet said.
Sweet thought about quitting, but changed his mind.
“God said, ‘J.D., there’s work to be done here,'" Sweet said.
Sweet said he prides himself on teaching his students to be critical thinkers.
“Let’s go beyond just the facts, reading, writing, and arithmetic because the world doesn’t run that way,” Sweet said.
In 1985 Sweet made waves, and the local newspaper, when he invited a communist to speak to his class during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. He said leading up to the visit, and for days afterward, he would get “30-40” hateful answering machine messages a day.
But Sweet does not regret hosting the event.
“Controversy’s not bad," Sweet said. "It’s how you deal with it."
While he thinks today’s students spend too much on their cellphones, and not enough time talking and being creative, Sweet said he’s always inspired by how much potential high school students have.
“To all students I’ve had an opportunity to serve, it was my honor," Sweet said. "So many of you made me so proud. Somebody was listening. Somebody was paying attention.”