“I remember sitting in his class, and because I wanted to be a teacher, I observed how he taught, not just what he taught. And I remember looking around the room and there being kids in the class that weren’t necessarily bad students, but kids who would act up, and they were simply entranced by what he was teaching. I was like ‘wow, these kids are excited about learning and they’re not normally like that,’ and to me, it was magical to see him be able to reach them like that,” Spanish teacher Ms. Ruthanne Gudzan said, speaking of her time in Dr. Brian Wargo’s physics class.
Why choose to teach, with all of its headaches, frustrations and uncooperative students? Why is it Freedom, with its small size and activity-driven students that forms such close bonds between themselves and their teachers? It goes without saying that it takes a special kind of person to teach. Freedom teachers are, admittedly almost always, willing, patient and friendly. There are always a few, however, that stand above the rest.
Everyone has a favorite teacher, one whose lectures are more interesting, whose demonstrations and labs are over the top and whose selection and lesson planning keep students from slumbering at their desks. These teachers can mean the difference between a mundane, tedious day of school and an intriguing, willingly learned lecture. Good teachers not only teach their students, but inspire them to learn.
“The main thing for me is being able to see how far they [the students] have come. From not knowing anything to now having four years of knowledge,” Gudzan said.
This year’s seniors have sampled most, if not all, of Freedom’s teaching palette. These teachers have with any luck prepared them for the real world. They have heard all their lives that life will be harder in middle school, and then again harder in high school. Now here they are, nearing the end of their school career, and are once again told they need to prepare for the real world. But before they do, these students should take a moment to remember the teachers who have prepared them for this infamous real world, at least before they cry or say good riddance.
“Obviously, I love Spanish, but I also love to teach Spanish,” Gudzan said. “ I’m going to start crying [because] it is the relationships that I get to build with my students and the personal connections I make with them that make it worthwhile,”
For many teachers who find joy in teaching, they not only enjoy their students, but enjoy what they teach. These teachers have the opportunity to spur mutual interest and joy in their classes.
“For me, it is worth it because I love literature, I like what I’m teaching. I like what we’re learning about, and I like forming relationships with students and getting to know them,” English teacher Mrs. Catherine Schultz said. “I get to teach basically what I love, I get to study what I love.”
For the seniors who are moving on to college, and those becoming seniors next year, some teachers have specific advice.
“Be motivated; stop being lazy. Don’t try to use Google to do everything for you, read a book, learn how to navigate a library, stop using Easybib, stop taking the easy way out and actually use your brain,” Schultz said matter-of-factly, laughing as she thinks of those who haven’t.
For the majority of their lives, students have trudged through Freedom School District, putting on a “I really wish I wasn’t here right now” attitude and will probably continue to plaster their social media with “don’t miss high school” related comments, but deep down, they know Freedom is perfectly bearable, and maybe even a little worth missing.