Mrs.Schwartz 

It was the first day of my sophomore year at Arrowhead High School. I was not looking forward to school. I walk into my classroom (Dollars and sense) and I’m curious about what my new teacher will be like. I had not heard anything about Mrs. Schwartz. The first thing I was met with was a smile and her vibrant voice, and I thought, This should be interesting. 

Throughout the semester, I learned about her personality. If I had to describe it using two words it would be wacky and fun. The class was not the most interesting, but Mrs. Schwartz kept me engaged. With her projects and her intriguing in-class work, the class became something I looked forward to in my morning. 

During the semester, she and I grew a relationship students hope to have with their teachers. I cannot lie: I am as rambunctious as it gets, so it isn’t strange to see me acting crazy and off-task, that is just who I am. So for her to not come down on me like a pound of bricks was helpful. Her son happens to share the same name as mine, so she would often call me by the nickname she would call her child; this made me feel almost as if I was her kid. She played a motherly role over me. 

As the semester came to a close, I had a strong grade in the class and I was disappointed that I would not be seeing Mrs. Schwartz the following semester.

Jump to my junior year, and I am excited to see on my schedule I would have Mrs. Schwartz for personal finance. The first day I was again greeted with a vibrant smile, as she seemed just as excited as I was to be in the same classroom. 

Mrs. Schwartz not only taught me the course material, but she applied it to my soon to be adult life. She helped me learn about how to manage my finances and taxes (which is intimidating) but she reassures me they are simple concepts. My favorite part of the class was during our budget challenge, an online simulator where you have to track your spending and pay bills and taxes. This helped me tremendously as I felt more confident with something that consumes us all as we go off to college and the world. 

Now being in my senior year, I do not get to see Mrs. Schwartz as much as I did, but if by chance I see her in the hall as I pass by, it brightens my day. The biggest thing I took away from her classes was to stay positive. Mrs. Schwartz brought a lively energy to her classroom, something that every teacher should strive for. For my high school career, I am thankful that Mrs. Schwartz was part of it