“8:36 — flip the switch and lock in”. 

In a moment’s notice, the classroom goes from idle chatter to steeled focus. That is, as focused as a room full of students in puffer vests and glasses chains could be. Today’s quiz theme, “Favorite Teacher Friday”, required that every student desiring a partner quiz would have to dress up as their favorite teacher. Of course, the only option was Mr. Hessler himself, with flannels and puffer vests an implicit requirement for the outfit. After the obligatory doppelganger-filled class picture, we all went in the classroom to “flip the switch” and dive into our quiz for the week. 

Each day in Mr. Hessler’s class, whether it’s a themed quiz day or  regular lesson, brings something exciting and special. I have had the pleasure of learning both precalculus and AP Calculus AB from him, and I look forward to each and every class period I attend. Mr. Hessler makes these topics, feared by students across the United States and the world as a whole, enjoyable and accessible for all his students. 

While Mr. Hessler is a pretty strict teacher, all standards considered, that doesn’t make his classes any less enjoyable. Sure, extra credit and test curves are rare to nonexistent, but his teaching style makes calculus an approachable subject for all his students. He connects differential equations to reemerging fashion trends, and sinusoidal graphs to cycles in athletic performance. By taking the time to properly explain every new topic, and then relating it to real-world situations, Mr. Hessler creates deeper connections that carry on outside the walls of a math classroom. 

Another teaching device of Mr. Hessler’s — one that has been quite a fan-favorite over the years — is his use of catchphrases and “triggers” to go along with calculus concepts. Whether it’s “check your ego at the door” for u-substitution integration or “smell the rat” for getting out of tricky algebraic situations (which he may be quite fond of putting us in), the sayings he develops go a long way towards helping all his students learn. These sayings make otherwise unremarkable math concepts latch onto your memory, allowing students to effectively remember them long after they are first taught. Students love these sayings so much, in fact, that the back corner of the classroom houses a student-made shirt with all these triggers — a testament to their value in student learning. 

These small yet significant aspects of Mr. Hessler’s lessons demonstrate how he has mastered the art of teaching over his years of doing so. You could compare school test score rankings or look at the percentage of high-scoring Arrowhead students on the AP exam to see his proficiency in teaching the material, but these metrics fail to show the humanity and love that Mr. Hessler puts into his classes day in and day out. Every day, at 8:36, he comes in ready to flip the switch and lock in — and he is rightfully revered by his students as a result.