With high hopes for my sophomore year, I walked in the classroom to meet my math teacher, Mr. Fechter. Right from the beginning of the year, his face lit up when he was teaching the class. He added humor and would relate math to real world situations.
I didn't pass Algebra my freshman year, so I had to repeat it. Going through a whole year only to get an F, really upset me. After what I had gone through the year before, I didn't think it was possible to enjoy math again.

I remember looking for my ID number on the grade sheet of Mr. Fechter's math class. I pressed my pointer finger against the sheet and moved across to match my grade with my ID number. That can't be right, I thought to myself; I traced my finger back and forth three more times and sure enough, I had 106% in the class. I couldn't believe I had been doing that well my sophomore year.

My freshman year I had a teacher that had given me F's on my assignments and graded my tests harder than the other students. I was called stupid and referred to as "mentally disabled" during class. The other kids noticed the way she treated me and would ask, 'Why is she always so mean to you?'
Discouraged and insulted, math became my least favorite subject; I even had gone to my counselor with tears streaming from my eyes saying, 'Can I please just stay in here? I don't want to go to math. She's going to humiliate me again.'
At the end of that year, not only would I have an F on my transcript, but I wouldn't be able to enjoy math again¦or so I thought.

"I got an A on my test!" I shouted as I rushed into my house.

"You got another one? That's great! I'm so proud of you," my mom said with a bright smile.
With a solid A in the class, and a teacher who led me to success, math had become my favorite subject. I found myself raising my hand to answer questions that no one else knew. I had never in my life felt like I was the smartest in the class.
Mr. Fechter made me laugh, learn, and like math; he had done the impossible. Today, I look back and remember the techniques he used; the stories he told will remain in my mind for many years. I will never forget Mr. Fechter. He was the best teacher I have had.