As the school year wraps up, it is important to honor the senior students who have been a part of the school community since 2020. Many seniors also wish to thank various faculty members, specifically teachers, who have become large parts of their lives in the last few years. They shared their appreciation for these teachers by talking about the impact that these teachers have had on their lives.
Graduating with an Advanced Diploma, Lilia Tabassum expressed her appreciation for Ms. Kathleen Claassen in several ways. Ms. Claassen taught Tabassum Advanced Placement (AP) US history and AP government in her junior and senior years at the school. Additionally, she has been Tabassum’s teacher for Generals Period this year. Tabassum wished to thank Ms. Claassen for supporting her throughout a challenging period of her life.
“I remember at the beginning of [the] junior year, I wasn’t very ready to take an AP class, I don’t think,” Tabassum said. “[Ms. Claassen] was patient with me, and I was really grateful for that. She helped me along the way [and] helped [me] a lot in the beginning of the year. [She helped] me get adjusted to the workload because I hadn’t taken an AP class before.”
Solomon Galpern, another senior, wished to share his experiences with Ms. Nora Kelley, his Latin teacher. He explained how Ms. Kelley empowered him to take on leadership roles, not only in the Latin Club, but also in other extracurricular activities and the community. Galpern specifically highlighted Ms. Kelley’s teaching style.
“Ms. Kelley is just a really good teacher and helps make the content a lot more approachable, despite the fact that it’s really hard texts,” Galpern said. “[She was] just being an involved teacher [by] being engaged in not just the class, but in all of the different activities… just going above and beyond, not just in responsibilities in the classroom, but helping our clubs.”
For many students, it is hard to pinpoint just one teacher that impacted them. Violet Dellinger spoke about Mr. Steven Brown and Dr. Brian Bennett when asked about her favorite teacher. She talked about how Dr. Bennett, her IB physics teacher, helped her realize that she wanted to major in physics in college and how Mr. Brown also helped her find a love for political science. In general, Dellinger emphasized how the attitudes of these teachers contributed to her love of the class.
“Mr. Brown and Dr. Bennett both just have a lot of respect for their students and I think that makes a big difference in terms of a learning environment,” Dellinger said. “Both of them are just really passionate about teaching and respecting their students, and I had a really good time in their classes because I felt so welcome.”
Benjamin Thernstrom, an IB candidate, had another favorite teacher in mind. Mr. John Doll taught World History to Thernstrom in his freshman year. Thernstrom explained the impact that Mr. Doll had on his education. Thernstrom particularly expressed how engaging the content of Mr. Doll’s class was.
“He taught my first world history class with a real diversity of topics,” Thernstrom said. “There was stuff about the African American Revolution and Napoleon, and just hearing about all the stuff I hadn’t learned about before was really great. I also loved how organized the class was, it was always clear what the next assignment was going to be. It was easy to work through.”
Elizabeth Schaf admired Mr. Daniel Moses, her social and cultural anthropology teacher, because of his connection with his students and the anthropological mindset he gave them. She explained that Mr. Moses was her favorite teacher because of how he engaged the class.
“I honestly just really liked his class. I really enjoyed the way he made all the students participate all the time, like, he would tell us to put our phones away and stuff, but you never really noticed that your phone was gone because you were so involved in the conversation, and it was always super interesting.” Schaf said. “He always had really interesting questions to ask us, and he knew how to keep us interested in the subject.”
Softball scholarship receiver Kaitlyn Fado named Ms. Candice Barbara, her favorite teacher and coach. Ms. Barbara was her softball coach, English teacher and Women’s Rights Initiative (WRI) club sponsor. She explained that Ms. Barbara played a big role in her high school education and has helped her get to where she is today. Fado also expressed gratitude to Ms. Barbara for pushing her in the best possible way and for having a good combination of support and encouragement.
“I think academically I feel like I got better at reading more concisely. Ms. Barbara is awesome, but she’s a tough grader, so my English improved, and I got better at analyzing,” Fado said. “It’s hard to have that you’re able to be there socially as a teacher and support your students, but you’re also being a harsh grader and teaching them how to be a better student.”
Overall, good teachers have made an impact on many seniors’ lives. Their students will remember them for their patience, respect, approachability and support. A good teacher can change any student’s life regardless of the class that they teach. The best teachers can teach well and be connect with their students.
As Fado said, “[A good teacher] is the best of both worlds.”
