My favorite subject in school has always been math, but many people know this class doesn’t have a lot of variation. There’s a formula or theory to hear the teacher drone on about for about 30 minutes, and there’s not much creativity. This is what I was expecting going into my Functions class in my Junior year at Arrowhead high school. However, after meeting my teacher, Mrs. Fulton, I knew this math class would be different.

My class was the second hour of the day, most people had little energy to be excited for school, but not Mrs. Fulton. She started each class like it was her favorite part of the day. She might start with a fun story relating to what we were learning, or just a funny thing that happened over the weekend. She would share about the marathons and daily running she did or what crazy thing her new dog or kids did. Her determination to run at 5 in the morning actually motivated me to run more too. My family bought a treadmill that I run on after school and it has improved my life more. 

Mrs. Fulton used to have a classroom with a few windows, but that year she moved to one in the middle of the school. I like to have a lot of natural life, so this was a bit dreary to see everyday. However, to bring more life into the room, Mrs. Fulton put up led lights along the ceiling and had plants in the back, which a lot of students, me included, really appreciated. This was something that some teachers wouldn’t do, so it made it clear to me that Mrs. Fulton would go the extra mile for her class. 

One of my favorite parts of her class was that I knew I could ask her about any questions I had. In past classes, I was always worried that I was behind the other students or somehow missing the point in every lesson. This made me nervous to ask my teachers any questions I had. In Mrs. Fulton's class, I knew that she would help me until she was sure I understood completely, so I was comfortable asking questions. 

One thing I will always remember from her class is a note she wrote on one of my tests. She said that I should think about taking an AP class next year and she would love to have me in her class again. I’m sure she wrote things like this a lot, but it boosted my confidence in myself about academics, and I still have it today.