On the first day of my junior year, not knowing what to expect, I walked into Mr. Hessler’s pre-calculus class. Math has always been one of the hardest subjects for me to comprehend and it’s also been my least enjoyable subject. But just a week with Mr. Hessler made math easier to understand and I actually enjoyed walking into class every morning. I now have Mr. Hessler for AP Calculus and although the material is hard, he teaches it in a way that it easy to understand.
Mr. Hessler is the type of teacher who stands in the hallway between classes to greet and have conversations with familiar faces. Right before class, Mr. Hessler starts the day off with a warm “hello” and a quote. The quotes are about working hard and perseverance. Each day I walk into Mr. Hessler’s classroom, I am inspired to do my best.
I would say that I am a curious student, more specifically I want to know, “When will I ever use this in the real world?”  Mr. Hessler answers this big question. In each lesson, Mr. Hessler finds a real life example for the material that is going to be taught. When he teaches, he teaches with excitement like a jolt of lightning going through the classroom. By doing this, I have been more engaged and more interested in learning math.
Math is my weakest subject and it might always be, but Mr. Hessler will do all he can to help me understand the material at task. He is willing to answer any question in class or out of class. He will gladly meet with any student to ensure the material is understood. If we struggled to make sense of a lesson he would do a “sidebar,” a small example that would make the lesson easier to understand. “Sidebars” have made math straight-forward and interesting.
Mr. Hessler is more than a teacher, he is a mentor. One day my senior year, another student and I went in early before class to ask for help. Once we finished we sat down and waited ten minutes for class to start. But before an awkward silence, he asked us what we planned on doing after high school and he gave us advice about college without hesitation. Mr. Hessler is a mentor to every single student he comes in contact with. He loves to help and see students succeed.
Mr. Hessler has truly had a positive impact on my life. Thank you, Mr. Hessler. I am nominating Mr. Hessler for teacher of the year because I have never had a teacher work hard to help every individual student in math class and in life.