Shivangi Sinha
Fred Isseks was more than a teacher to many students at Middletown High School. Through his Electronic English course, he brought attention to a larger societal issue of the toxic wasteland and the pollution that was degrading the water quality in their town. Fred encouraged his students to ask questions, investigate what was happening around them, and challenge those in positions of power. Under his leadership, their work eventually attracted significant national attention, turning what began as a classroom project into something much larger. Netflix’s ‘Teenage Wasteland’ focuses on this remarkable undertaking and the brilliant teacher at its center. His influence continues to remain at the heart of the memories of the students he inspired.
Fred Isseks Started an Elective Course That Turned Into a Journalistic Investigation Led by Students
Fred Isseks was born and raised in Middletown, New York. In 1966, he graduated from Middletown High School and, like many members of his family, went on to attend law school. During his first year of college, he participated in the 1967 anti-Vietnam War March on the Pentagon. It shaped much of his political understanding from that point onward. Fred immersed himself in the left-leaning counterculture, which also led him to reconsider his career path. He eventually decided that he was not meant to be a lawyer and instead followed in his mother’s footsteps. Fred went on to earn a Master’s degree in English and returned to his alma mater, where he became a high school teacher himself.
When Fred joined the school as a teacher, his classes were standard, like any other. He said that he soon grew tired of the routine and wanted to do something more creative with his students. He applied for a grant to purchase Instamatic cameras so that he could introduce filmmaking into his classroom. In 1991, Fred started his elective course called Electronic English. Students who joined were encouraged to make any kind of film they wanted, but soon another idea came to mind. The course required students to make an exam project, and Fred urged the students to try their hands at journalism. He had spoken to his friend Donald Tirrell, who told him about foul water seeping into the properties of his neighborhood.
Fred and his students began investigating the sites, which prompted local authorities and landowners at the time to accuse the group of trespassing. Their initial investigation spiraled into something that lasted four years. Even though only senior students were supposed to take his class, it became an informal place where anyone could join. The project raised important questions about the construction of the wasteland itself, scrutinizing big corporations, alleged organized crime rings, and local politicians, eventually reaching as far as then-President Bill Clinton. In 1997, an hour-long film called ‘Garbage, Gangsters, and Greed’ was released. The students who went through the program have said that Fred was like a father figure to them. They said he was making them ask the right questions and guiding them in a way that truly mattered.
Related
Fred Isseks is Encouraging the Idea of Civic Courage Today
Fred Isseks’ elective course at Middletown High School ended in 1997, but he continued teaching at the school and decided to pursue a PhD. He joined the European Graduate School under philosopher Wolfgang Schirmacher, and in the early 2000s, he published his thesis, titled ‘Media Courage: Impossible Pedagogy in an Artificial Community.’ Fred retired from the high school in 2011 and has remained a Middletown, New York, resident since then. He has maintained close relationships with many of his students from the early 1990s. He also made an effort to preserve the VHS tapes his students had made and the material they had collected.
In 2020, an article in The Guardian about the project and the teacher who had championed it brought renewed attention to their endeavor and the impact it had felt far and wide. Since the documentary’s release, Fred has said that he has been going from one film festival to another, including the Milwaukee Film Festival, HamptonsFilm SummerDocs, and Adirondack Film. Through it all, his wife, Denise, and daughter, Sadie, have remained his strongest supporters. They take pride in the work he has been doing and encourage him to keep moving forward. Fred has even maintained close relationships with the children of many of his former students. In his public interviews, he continues to emphasize the idea of civic courage and remains dedicated to carrying the baton forward.
You must be logged in to post a comment.