I thought everyone was lying about Chemistry being a pain in the behind, but, oh, how I was so wrong. 

The first time I stepped foot inside the classroom, I had no idea what awaited me for the next 10 months. As I glanced around the classroom, I spotted familiar faces of friends and classmates I had from last year. As I walked over to my new seat and was engulfed in chatters, I heard a vibrant and spirited voice echoing within the classroom that captured everyone’s attention. The once loud and lively environment fell into silence.

“Hello everyone, my name is Mrs. Rosato. Chemistry will be fun! Hard, but nonetheless, fun, fun, fun!”

That was the first lie she told.

Chemistry teacher Laurie Rosato was right about it being hard, but nothing about chemistry was fun. The horror, the terror and the agonizing amount of formulas you need to remember. The positive and negative ions and atoms from the periodic table, the FRQs, tons of vocabulary, these random scientists that make up some crazy laws, and don’t get me started on Avagadro’s number. You’re telling me he didn’t make that up?

Putting that aside, somehow chemistry is still my favorite class to end with, all thanks to Mrs. Rozzie. Chemistry itself feels as if you’re being stabbed 10 times over, but with a teacher like her, it hurts a little less.

Mrs. Rosato is passionate about her teaching and she uses fun ways to explain scenarios on how chemistry works. Sometimes, she cracks jokes about herself that catches the students off guard (What happened to self love?) Her booming voice is not even the best thing about her. No matter where she is in the classroom, you can hear her from every corner of the room. But most importantly, her smile and kind eyes are my favorite. No matter what mood she’s in, her smile and eyes shine through.

** This story is part of a Teacher Appreciation series where students write about a staff member who has had a significant impact on them during high school.