Well, I’m almost done with my junior year, and honestly, I can say for a fact that my views on the school’s best teacher have not changed in that time frame. I’m talking about the world’s best German teacher, Mr. Joshua Hall.

When I first stepped into his classroom as a shaky, nervous sophomore who had heard all of the rumours about how difficult German was, I was surprised to see a colourful room filled with flags from several German-speaking countries, along with hand-drawn pictures and origami cranes. It was astonishing for me at that time. When he introduced himself, he stood perched atop his stepladder and started off our first half-day with arguably one of the worst dad jokes I had ever heard, but from that moment on, I knew it wasn’t going to be all that bad.

Then, the fun ended. I passed the class with an A, but I knew I’d be back.

I walk into his room on the first half-day of my junior year, sit down next to some friends I had made the year before in the German club (which I was VP of that year), and brace myself for the inevitable dad jokes. Sure enough, he makes the joke while atop his stepladder and gives a quick few instructions in German before telling us, “By the end of this school year, you’ll be thinking in German, and having dreams in German.” I laughed and continued on with my year, but little did I know that he was right.

His way of teaching has inspired me even more to become a teacher when I get older, since I’d love to be the kind of teacher that he is, but maybe without the stepladder. Over the course of that first year, I lost most, if not all, of that initial anxiety that I had felt on the first half-day, which was amazing since the anxiety remained for the rest of the classes that I took. But not every teacher had a spare Krampus costume sitting in a basket in the corner of the room, along with a few dolls labelled as bad children.

This year, of course, I rejoined the German Club and wound up becoming the President of that club.

In conclusion, Mr. Joshua Hall is a teacher that any student would be lucky to have. His passion for teaching and his unique style of instruction set him apart from other educators, making him a true gem in the education system. His students leave his class not only with a deep understanding of the German language and culture but also with a newfound love for learning. Mr. Hall's impact on his students extends far beyond the classroom, and his legacy as an exceptional educator will continue for years to come. Auf Wiedersehen!