Dear Mr. Hessler,

I remember the second semester of my junior year is when I first had you. I figured that you would be like every other teacher I’ve had, someone who doesn’t seem to put much effort into the students and doesn’t seem like they want to be there any more than the students do. But after a few weeks in your class, I realized that I was wrong about you.

I keep thinking of one class period with you in Pre-Calc when you came up to me and asked if I was going to take Calc AB with you next year. I hadn’t really put much thought into my classes for the next school year other than all I had for math at that time was AP Statistics. Then you suggested I could take both. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but looking back I realize I had never had a teacher personally recommend me to be in their class for a second time. Most of the teachers would just tell the whole class the classes they should take next year, but I had never had a teacher personally recommend their own class for the next year. Not once had a teacher care about me enough to personally recommend that I take their class for a second year. But the fact that you wanted me to take Calc and came up to me on your own, showed me that you thought highly enough of me in order to join your class again.

The main thing that I like about you though, is that you know how to have fun with your students. You are always having casual conversations with kids, joking around with them in front of the entire class and giving them a hard time, but in a joking manner. And, you are the only teacher that I know who lets their students dress up for a partner quiz. Most teachers are so against partner quizzes, but not you. I remember junior year, when I would see the kids all dressed up on Fridays, wearing things that some people would never be seen in, especially at school. I always thought to myself, That actually looks kind of fun. I remind myself that in the first week of the school year when we talked about dressing up, you simply said It’s your Senior year, go out and have some fun. Who cares what kind of stupid stuff people see you in, just have some fun. 

Another thing I like is that you push us to be better. It feels like you want us to pass the AP exam more than we do. You give us graded FRQ’s every Friday for the entire second semester to prepare us all for the AP Exam. You write little notes on the test telling us to pick our game up and making sure that we don’t make stupid mistakes that will cost us points on a test. Everyday it seems that you push us further and further to become smarter and smarter in order to pass the class and then to pass the AP Exam. And my favorite is that you give us the ‘street smart’ triggers to help remember things. I find it really helpful when a teacher simplifies things to help their students memorize things, especially in a difficult class like Calc. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said the triggers in my head as I’m working things out.

Throughout my four years of high school, there were only a few teachers that really stuck out to me. You, however, were the one that stuck out the most. You really push me and the other students to do their best. It always feels like you are at the top of your game and make sure that I am as well. I haven’t had a connection with many of my teachers before, but I’m glad that you were the one that I had one with, and for that, I thank you.