Mrs. Yordy, a woman deeply in love with math, taught the toughest class I ever took. She taught her class the way she wanted. The math department knew not to even attempt to change what she does, because it is what she had been doing forever. How does one teacher teach differently than the entire department? The simple answer is that Mrs.Yordy had evidence to support her argument. Calculus BC was a college course, and Mrs. Yordy made sure she treated it as such.

Every night, upwards of an hour of homework presented itself. Mastering what you had learned in class became a nightly routine. Every test that came seemed to be harder than anything that had been done in class, or at home. She insisted the AP test would not be nice to you, so she shouldn't be. She also insisted on doing things the way she had learned them. Tests were to be taken without a calculator, because she didn't have one when she was in school. Also, retakes weren’t there for her, so she wouldn’t allow them either. Everything was done her way.

Control was given to her as soon as you entered her classroom. Walk through the door and to your seat, you see her menacingly sipping from one of her two coffee thermoses. She made sure that she had the energy to teach every day and expected nothing less in return. Do not lose focus for a second, because when you do you become completely lost with what is going on in the class. Her eyes jolt you back into focus like the caffeine in the thermos. If you have only 50 minutes to give in a day, Mrs. Yordy’s class is the place to give those minutes.

Before I became a student of Mrs. Yordy, I heard many stories involving her and her militant attitude. I heard of the homework load, ridiculous tests, and unfair discipline. I had been warned to not go in my backpack during class, for my phone may be sent to the dean. I had heard many stories consisting of negative connotations. The one recurring positive I heard was that she would prepare me well for the AP test.

Grades don't mean the same thing to Mrs. Yordy as they would mean to any student. But, she does believe your grades should reflect your score on the AP test. Her promise to our class was that she would change your semester 2 grade if your AP score reflected  higher grade.

Mrs. Yordy taught the hardest class I ever took. She expected us to succeed because she knew we could. So, as I sit here I look at a grade change form from a B to an A in Calculus BC. She knew how to get the best out of every student. All the hard work paid off, as Mrs. Yordy knew it was. Along with countless mathematical concepts, perseverance, and time management, Mrs. Yordy taught me that when someone comes off as militant or harsh, it is because they care.