Math has always been my favorite subject, yet the thought of going to it first thing every morning sent shivers down my spine. When I finally got the courage to walk into the quiet, almost suffocating room, I sat down and I looked up at the warm up only to my horror. I had no clue what it was on, and Geometry teacher Steven Hewitt was already on his way to check my answers. 

Knowing that I hadn’t studied, I could only imagine the next words to come from the intimidating teacher. Seeing that I was stressed, Mr. Hewitt decided to come up to me last. At the time, I probably thought this was to torment me, but now I can see it was probably just to give me more time to figure out the answer. As soon as he came over, I yet again started shivering in my boots. I hadn’t even started the problem.

Looking down at my paper, he sighed – not so much in anger but in disappointment. “You haven’t done your best practices,” he said in a calm yet firm voice.

In all honesty, I wasn’t upset when the teacher called me out. I truly hadn’t done my best practices. 

This moment helped me open my eyes more to see how this scary teacher was truly looking out for his students. Although he might have seemed strict, he was really just guiding his students to have a better learning experience so we could fully understand the basics he was teaching us. 

Looking back now, he has become one of my favorite teachers for this reason. So don’t judge a book by its cover, and take the time to find out what an amazing teacher Mr. Hewitt truly is.