The first few days of class are like boot camp, one could say. They weed out the wimps. If one emerges on the other side unabashed, they are prepared for everything from then on.

He pulls no punches. Not a thing he says is sugarcoated. Early, he makes sure to dance on every line, letting each student know that this classroom is unlike any they have ever entered.

The moment a student steps foot in room 130, gone are all traces of the tired academic structure they have grown used to. No longer will your teacher quickly sweep a topic under the rug in fear of spoiling their standing with administrators. The classroom is an open forum that fields any topic under the sun, directed seamlessly by the man seated in the stool up front.

The wisecracks, hilarious stories, and banter between him and his students will bring a smile to your face well after the course is completed. He’ll take an interest in their hobbies, and not one student leaves the class feeling left out. And in the process, he readies them for the real world. In fact, he gives them a one-up.

He will not tolerate his students taking things at face value. He challenges them to dig deeper, challenges them to see all sides of every issue. He opens a path into aspects of politics, news, and life that no ordinary teacher would allow them access too.

By the end of the semester, you’ll feel like part of a club. A club with countless inside jokes, a club with full bellies from “Forbidden Fridays,” and a club that is prepared for everything life can throw at them.

He’s not your ordinary teacher. He is Mr. Tom Whelan.