Mr. Doyle, a humorous biology mastermind, was a smart-ass who always knew how to have fun. His grey, almost non-existent hair, glasses, khakis, and button up shirts would tell you otherwise, but within the first day of class, he was undoubtedly more like a student than a teacher. Mr. Doyle’s soft, but obviously intelligent tone was both intimidating and reassuring that I could make it through one of the most difficult science classes that Mundelein has to offer. 

You know those people in horror movies who walk into a room and all you think is, wow they’re so stupid? I felt like one of those idiotic characters, walking straight into my coffin, when I stepped foot into the AP bio room. But oh my God, it was the most scientifically creative coffin I’ve ever seen. The room was its own piece of art; there was multicolored paint splattered and swiped across the walls, left by students who have already moved on to their careers outside of high school. Simplified and eye-catching diagrams of complicated science processes are lined up on the cabinets and even under lab tables; mixed in with them are fun little crabs made for the game, “Find all 17 crabs.” The classroom was the perfect representation of what I think goes on in Mr. Doyle’s head. He had ways of explaining complex concepts to us in a form that we could understand. At the same time he cracked jokes - mostly about himself. 

Mr. Doyle is very open about his ADHD. On the second day of school he stopped in the middle of class and asked, “What’s that thing you climb up to get higher?” 

My friend Derek who sat to the left of me said quietly, “A ladder?” 

Mr. Doyle’s face lit up and he yelled, “Yes! A ladder!”, and continued with his lesson. About a week later he asked us a similar question, “What’s it called when a balloon breaks?”

“Pop?” the whole class said simultaneously.

“Yeah! Ah… ADHD is both a blessing a curse.”

The class broke into laughter. He continued with the lesson. 

If AP Bio was actually a horror movie, then Mr. Doyle would be the character that saves everyone from certain doom. He told us that if we were ever freaking out about a test and need to move it back for our own mental health, he would let us. He made an effort to show that he cares about us more than our grade in the class. 

Even though I have had several great teachers over my highschool career, I will always remember Mr. Doyle. He is passionate about his job, but cares the most about his students. He made sure that we knew that we would survive the class. He kept us entertained with his own, sometimes self-deprecating, humor. He taught us that our own own mental health and having fun with learning is more important than the grade we receive. I will always be thankful for my humorous, smart-ass biology teacher, who always knew how to have fun. 

Inspired by Clamorous to Learn by Eudora Welty