Nicholas Beckmann

Mr. Beckmann,

I didn’t know where to start so I wrote you an acrostic poem.

B-oisterous

E-nriching

C-harasmatic

K-ool with a K

M-ansplain?

A-stounding

N-aturally a great teacher

N-ot like any other teacher I’ve had

So, it turns out that I am really bad at making acrostic poems, but I wanted to thank you for being one of my favorite teachers.

I always knew I was going to love AP Government. As you can tell, it’s kind of my thing. What I didn’t know was how great my AP Gov teacher was going to be. You didn’t teach us government through a textbook or a reading. You taught us through the world. I learned about the presidential campaign process by watching the debates. I learned about the impeachment process as I watched it happen live. With every new topic, you had a relevant event or clip to show us, and I can’t overstate the value of connecting what I learn in the classroom with what happens outside of its door. Thank you for that.

While academic stuff is cool, I’m not going to remember the significance of Fed 10 (woo factions!!!) in 10 years, I’m going to remember all of the fun I had with you. I loved my Gov class, it brought people across the aisle together. Who would have thought me and Bobby Soderstrom were going to become friends? Thanks to you I have been able to connect with people I would have never before. 

Joking around with you was always one of the highlights of my day. It’s the thing I miss most about Gov. You brought such a humorous energy to your class which made everyone hang on to your every word. I’ve always thought government was fun, but thank you for making it fun for everyone. 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can never thank you enough.