History Teacher Michael Pollock Has Big Impression on UHS Students

Michael Pollock, an Urbana High School history teacher, is man with an interesting past. Pollock started his teaching career here, at UHS in 2004 as a history teacher. Something his students hear in his class is a story of his past in the music business. What many kids don’t know is why he was once so immersed into the music business. After talking to Mr. Pollock, his deep roots have been found.
Before Pollock was in the music business he worked construction. In the late 1960’s he was working construction in Chicago on the high rises, and after his work in construction Pollock owned a chain of record shops called Record Service.
Record Service was once located on Green Street near what is now Za’s and Zorba’s. As a record storeowner a lot of record labels and bands wanted to impress him, so his stores would sell their albums. “Pretty much anyone I wanted to see, I saw,” Pollock said when asked about whom he’s seen concert wise. Pollock noted that he’d seen the Grateful Dead multiple times and he also saw the Rolling Stones in 1969 at the Champaign-Urbana Assembly Hall.
With these connections, Pollock has had the chance to meet and hangout with many famous musicians. On the list are Alanis Morissette, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Halen, The Almond Brothers, and the Foo Fighters. During the interview he explained what it’s like to meet so many famous people in his lifetime. “They’re fun and exciting but they’re not on the top of the list of my fondest memories,” Pollock says, considering himself not one to become star struck.
Through his career he has experienced many things but his new favorite thing is teaching, something that started with his son.
As the story goes, Mr. Pollock was in the car when his 10-year-old son asked about the Vietnam War, asking his father to explain the happenings with all that. Mr. Pollock was very anti-war during the Vietnam War taking part in the marches in Washington D.C. in 1969 and 1970. After explaining all of this to his young son, he exclaimed that he understood exactly what his father had said, giving Pollock a great idea for his next move in life, being a teacher.
Mr. Pollock went through the motions to get his degree in teaching and went into what he majored in to begin with, history. “I like working with kids, I enjoy teaching,” said Pollock.
He really enjoys the process of teaching, a process he went through with his son. With all of his experience under his belt, many kids wonder how he’s done all this in a lifetime. He has only one thing to say to his students who believe it’s impossible to do all this, he says “I’ve been around for awhile, I won’t give any dates, but in my life I’ve had enough time to rack up some life experiences.”