Mr. Hessler is a propeller. Without him, I wouldn’t have got going. I thought math was going to be rough when I found out he was a football coach, since I play soccer and all. I was wrong. Turns out he just loves competition.
On the first day, he said, “Seniors… you’re going to struggle. Especially you senior guys.” I didn’t see this as discouraging, but instead as a challenge. I had to prove him wrong. I was determined.

Mr. Hessler is like my dad. He never said exactly what I needed to do or when, but instead, he enlightened me to the possibilities and successes that would follow, providing I worked hard. He also would warn me of possible struggles I might face if I lacked effort.

At the end of first semester, I was disappointed with myself. I knew I could have gotten a higher grade. I thought it was okay because I was in the middle of an intense soccer season, but I knew better than that. No excuses. Play like a champion. And that goes for school work, too. Mr. Hessler always stayed positive and encouraged me to work harder next semester.
Second semester I had his class the last period of my day. I had lunch and two study halls before that. The opportunity to skip slapped me in the face constantly, but I couldn’t let Mr. Hessler down. He looked to me to lead the class, even though I wasn’t the smartest student. Our relationship and inside jokes soon became the whole class’. Mr. Hessler’s classroom was the ultimate climate to learn in, and yet we had fun.

He helped me understand. Not only the material, but the broad scope of things and how they would relate to my life. I know that isn’t just my case. He treated every student as a person and met their needs for learning in different ways. He helped us decipher textbook notation that, what he likes to call “profs,” will give us next year.
To the normal reader, “Gilby,” “Waldo,” “Big-Guy minus Little-Guy,” and “Nina, you look nice today” don’t mean anything. To anyone in our class, there is no way they wouldn’t crack a smile. That’s why I want to nominate Mr. Hessler for this award.