After being a virtual student freshman year, sophomore year was my first year being in high school in person. Everything felt odd as it was a new experience for me. My second class of the day was English 10 with Mr. Andrews at Arrowhead High School.

Being in person was a big change for me, and I hoped I would like my teachers. Being at school that early in the morning I didn’t think that I could enjoy anything. In the past, I hadn’t enjoyed many of my classes. I had found the classes to be boring and annoying as it was very early in the day.

When the class had started, I found my desk and I sat waiting for him to introduce himself to the class. Right away I could tell that something was different about him in comparison to my other teachers. He would tell jokes and didn’t seem to be serious. This made me excited for the rest of the semester.

Some teachers take classes very seriously and won't allow students to have fun. Mr. Andrews is a good example of a teacher who can make the learning experience enjoyable, but still effective. For example, he can teach our class but also entertain us at the same time. From having him as a teacher in English 10 and College Strategies as a senior, he was always positive and wouldn’t complain. This shows the importance of positivity and optimism especially in a learning environment.

As a result, having a teacher who has a positive attitude and is optimistic about their students creates a shift in the mood of the class. In my other classes, I would always see students who were close to falling asleep or not paying attention. In my classes with Mr. Andrews, the class would be engaged as it felt that there was a purpose to listen. He would walk around the class and talk to students and show he cared more than just about our performance in the class.

I remember that we would do fun activities as a class. For example, we would pass a ball around our class, do group discussions, and race his other class periods. Adding aspects for fun in the classes gave us students something to look forward to and a way for us to connect more. I always wondered, why couldn’t the teachers make class more enjoyable. In my classes with him, I enjoyed my time and wouldn’t look at the clock or dread being there.