I had never liked Math, but this year was different because I had Mr. Conway for math. When I walked in to my math class freshman year, I thought, ok let’s just get this over with but when Mr. Conway started talking about solving equations and y-intercepts, it just started to make more sense then it ever did before.

The best thing about Mr. Conway’s class is I never needed anything but a pencil and an open ear. The rest he provided. When he handed his worksheet out in the beginning of class, it would be half blank on the top for notes. Under the note section, there would be four problems that we did together in class as examples and the back side would be the worksheet.

If you ever couldn’t figure out the problem, there was no hunting through papers to find your notes: there were on the front of your worksheet! If you still needed help, Mr. Conway was always available to help during his lunch or a free a period. He had a spot on the white board with all his free hours. Students just filled their names into a blank spot on the chart and he would be in his room waiting for you.

Mr. Conway was not just a teacher; he was also a basketball coach, a mentor, and a friend. He was always there with good advice about life or a joke when you needed it. But his class was not all just math. He would let us on Fridays do brain teaser puzzles. If we couldn’t figure the puzzle out, he would help us figure it out. He would do the same in class. If one person didn’t understand the problem, he would stop the class, sit down and explain the problem with that person. He never left anyone behind in his class.

When I started math in high school I was just planning on doing the minimum amount of math to graduate. Now, because of Mr. Conway’s help, I will be graduating with five years of math.