As a defense attorney for the City of St. Louis, lawyer-turned-social-studies-teacher Peter Stragand worked on cases from minor misdemeanors to homicides.

“There’s a little theater about it,” Stragand said. “It’s like being a teacher when you’re in front of an audience and you’re trying to persuade people. It’s a great feeling if you win it.”

Though Stragand enjoyed his time as a public defender, moving into a private practice brought a greater focus on financial decisions that turned him away from practicing law. Instead of defending clients who could not afford a lawyer, Stragand had to worry about financial decisions such as setting individual salaries. Luckily, he had a back-up plan.

“I knew a lot of attorneys at that stage who wanted to do something else, but they didn’t know what,” Stragand said. “I knew exactly what I wanted to do: teach in a secondary school setting.”

After teaching at North Kirkwood Middle School for 12 years, Stragand moved to KHS where he now teaches Civics, U.S and World History as well as coaching the Mock Trial team. Having no regrets of leaving his former job, Stragand does see aspects of practicing law that carry over to teaching.

“Being a teacher is like being in trial every day,” Stragand said. “Even when I was a public defender, I wasn’t in trial every single day. I don’t miss it.”