Apathy.  This is the one word that described my attitude to most subjects in school.  Be it english, science, and especially math, nothing could really convince me that it was all worth my time.  I was an art kid after all, why should I break that norm and try something so distant from the only subject which mattered to me.  This apathetic attitude permeated throughout my middle school years, and was planned to continue onward into high school.  

I remember walking down the hallway during the penultimate period of my first day as a freshman at Arrowhead High School.  It was time for my final class of the day before I got the opportunity to go home: my Algebra B / Geometry Block.  I walked into the classroom and took my seat, excited to leave once the period ended; but then… BANG.  Like hearing a revolver go off right before the start of a race, I was hit with the most high energy math lesson I had ever experienced.

My new teacher, Mrs. Fulton began the lesson by talking about their excitement for the new semester, transitioning to conversing with each student in the discussion of 30, 60, 90 triangles, and ending by attempting to learn the word “Drip.”  She approached each lesson with a comedic charm which resulted in you being unable to help enjoying her lectures, and even with my uncaring disposition I found myself participating more enthusiastically in each lesson than I ever thought I would.

I’ve had Mrs. Fulton twice more throughout my high school career: the second semester of an advanced algebra class, and in my AP Stats class.  But in truth she has been even more influential than even that would imply.  I remember near the end of my first year with her when we were doing a geometry worksheet.  By that point I had already spent a lot of effort to get better at math due to how interesting I found it, so as I flew through the assignment she commented, “Lucas, have you ever considered taking Computer Science Methods?  It seems like just the thing you would be interested in.”  

A year later, I took that class and found it incredibly interesting, so I took more and more computer science classes.  Now, after working through those during subsequent years, I even plan to major in the subject.  I have Mrs. Fulton’s careful advice and attention to my skill set to be able to thank for any of this even being possible.

Overall to me, it’s undeniable that Mrs. Fulton is a fantastic teacher, who is incredibly dedicated to her job and developing a relationship with her students.  Her influence beyond the classroom, her passion about subjects, and her student interactive classes all combine in a way that I can only hope to give justice to by describing in a simple letter.  I truly appreciate everything she does, which is why Mrs. Fulton is my favorite teacher of all time.