Business and Training Center Instructor Del Record brings the same intensity and commitment to the Microsoft skills classes that he teaches at Great Bay Community College as he does to his other work as harbor master of Portsmouth Harbor and as an award-winning member of regional ski patrol teams.
Record, a lifelong resident of Rye who also worked many years in law enforcement and as a private investigator, tries to connect with his students on a professional level to make his classes rewarding and effective. In all his work over the years, whether patrolling the streets or evacuating an injured skier, the key to his success has always been rooted in building relationships.
“In all those ventures, I have to make a connection with the people I am working with and working for. On the ski hill, when you’re dealing with someone who is injured, it’s important to make a connection with the injured party and the people who are with the injured party,” he said.
He does the same thing in the classroom, engaging students to evaluate their enthusiasm and desire to contribute to the class dialogue. Record has been teaching at Great Bay for five years, and next teaches an open-enrollment Microsoft Excel class beginning in October.
He teaches a full suite of Microsoft programs, including Office, Word, Powerpoint and Access. Most of his students come to his classes through their employers, who contract with Great Bay to train their employees on the latest iterations of the popular Microsoft programs.
The open-enrollment classes are popular as well, because they teach students important skills that help them in their daily lives at work and at home. Excel is particularly helpful when it comes to managing home finances, he said.
Record is an example of the diverse make-up of Great Bay’s Instructors and faculty. He brings a lifetime of experience in various fields together in the classroom, all with a goal of helping students improve their lives and careers. He appreciates the enthusiasm of the students and the support of the Great Bay administration.
“The people who come here to take classes want to be here,” he said. “And I can’t say enough about Great Bay. The people are awesome. They all have the ability to step up and make it happen. The whole staff is professional.”
Record said his ski patrol work is most rewarding, because of its urgency and the challenge of the circumstances. He has worked at mountains across New England, and in 2010 received the annual Lee Bates Award given to a patroller at Gunstock Mountain dedicated to excellence. He now patrols at Bradford Mountain in Haverhill, Mass.
He also said his work on the ski patrol is the one that scares him the most. “Every time I am going to be the first responder and we get a call for an accident, I get an adrenaline rush. That’s the scare factor, that’s the fear thing,” he said. “I have to perform on a level that is critical to someone’s well-being.”
The stakes aren’t as high in the classroom, but Record brings the same attitude with him to his teaching.
