When I walk into AP English, I am no longer at Arrowhead High School; instead, I have a front row seat to the Freeburg show. And I am always ready for sixty minutes of fun, fashion, and fire. Throughout my entire educational career, I have never had a teacher with as much energy, pizazz and commitment as Mr. Andy Freeburg.
Before meeting Mr. Freeburg, I heard stories about how his AP English was the best class—not only because of the course material, but also because of Mr. Freeburg. And on that first day of class, it only took me two seconds to realize everything I heard was true; Mr. Freeburg makes learning fun by relating what we learn to his own crazy life—which keeps everyone alert and focused.
Not only is Mr. Freeburg extremely knowledgeable in the subject of English, but he also knows how to effectively explain the rigorous course material. Our class is currently reading Othello, which is hard for most high school students to understand. But when Mr. Freeburg breaks down each scene to words we can understand, it helps tremendously. I remember reading a scene in the play about a battle with millions of different, confusing things going on, but Mr. Freeburg related this scene to a high school party—now that is something I understand.
Mr. Freeburg is not only skilled at being an excellent teacher, but he is also a great mentor. He understands teenagers and maintains a perfect balance between school and personal talk. Teaching three AP English classes and one modern literature class, Mr. Freeburg has a lot on his plate, but he always manages his time well and treats each class like it is his first of the day.
One day, Mr. Freeburg, using his handy note cards, went around the room and asked every student what their greatest stress was. He then proceeded to give each student advice on how to eliminate that stress. He helped students choose between two colleges, and gave words of encouragement. It is times these this when I see how much Mr. Freeburg cares about his students.
Mr. Freeburg is always happy to answer any questions, no matter how simple or complex. He stretches his students to stay involved in class. Throughout my time with Mr. Freeburg, I have become a better writer and reader—and that’s because Mr. Freeburg pushes me to do my absolute best because he wants me (like every other student in his class) to succeed.
On the first day of class, Mr. Freeburg told us his goal was to make AP English the “best class we have had and will ever have.” And he has reached his goal because I cannot name a better English class than Mr. Freeburg’s.