Faculty Feature: John Ferrick (by Henry Symes '20)

John Ferrick retired in 2003 after teaching in Ipswich Public Schools for 33 years. He knew almost immediately it was a mistake.

 “I had already kinda decided I wished I had not retired,” said John. That summer he was working at the Crane Estate, planning programs for others to teach, but he wished he was the one teaching them instead. In short, just a few weeks into retirement, he already wanted to be back in the classroom. That fall, he came to teach at Waring and has stayed ever since. In total, he’s accumulated more than 50 years of teaching experience.

John started out teaching in Lowell in 1966 as a part of the Head Start Program, moving around nearby towns in Massachusetts before settling in Ipswich in 1970. 

In Ipswich, John took on many different roles within the teaching realm. He is anything but complacent with his teaching and emphasizes the ways he has expanded his horizons over the years.

“I liked to change what I do about every five years,” Ferrick said. “I changed grades or I changed subject areas so that I wouldn’t get stale.”

After his short retirement, John met with former Waring headmaster Peter Smick in 2003 and hasn’t looked back. He started teaching Core math and has been teaching one class per year at Waring ever since.

“What I heard that first year was Dorothy give that loving kindness meditation to each of her tutees, and I knew I was in the right place,” John said. “I knew I was in the right place from the time I set foot on the campus.” 

John Ferrick isn’t done teaching, and by the looks of things, he won’t be done anytime soon.