Every day, I see students suffer from a lack of academic confidence. This destructive condition can cause students to give up in school, fail classes, or even drop out. I struggle from this issue as well. My struggle with this has been on and off for the past few years, but I’m lucky that my teachers are supportive enough for me to feel inspired to keep trying. One teacher in particular has helped me to fight against this.

He is mostly known for his humor, but I feel like his ability to keep a class laughing doesn’t cover who he is as a teacher. In addition to being funny, he constantly pushes himself to help students. If test results are low, he doesn’t blame the students: he tells us that looking back he feels like he didn’t go over something enough. If students in previous years have struggled to grasp certain concepts, he tweaks lectures and lesson plans.

He also gives individualized help and encouragement to his students. If he notices a student is struggling, he conferences with them. If he sees a student improving, he compliments them. When he asks students questions in class, and they get the right answer, you can tell that he feels proud.

ZoBot is a difficult class to take, and I can’t imagine how difficult it is to teach. Seeing him putting effort into doing what’s best for the student makes me want put effort into doing what’s best for the teacher. It makes me want to study and do well.

Thank you, Mr. Patrick Reed.