With coverage of the pandemic taking over most news and social media outlets, many people can forget other important things happening in society. For instance, this past week was Teacher Appreciation Week, and teachers have certainly seemed to not receive the appreciation they deserve. Union Public School boasts some of the best teachers in the state, and several of these teachers have had tremendous impacts on all of their students. Personally, many of the teachers at Union High School both impacted me and helped me to succeed in college, and they deserve special recognition. While these four teachers have been great personal influences for me, they also represent the teachers at Union Public Schools as a whole.
The first teacher that I would like to recognize is the Union High School Band director Adam De Venney. I spent eight years under Mr. De Venney during my time in band. In addition to teaching me how to play trombone and how to play in various musical styles, Mr. De Venney also taught me a lot about life; he taught me that hard work pays off, that teamwork is important in all aspects of life, and that one can always persevere in times of adversity. This is also only a sampling of Mr. De Venney’s valuable life lessons, and I will always appreciation and cherish my time in the Union High School Band. The second teacher I would like to recognize is Mrs. Katie Goss. Mrs. Goss taught me English during my first two years of high school, and when I started her accelerated English I class during 9th grade, I struggled. However, as the semester continued, I eventually become proficient in English, and by her accelerated English II class in 10th grade, I grew to love English. I took several of Mrs. Goss’ classes, and the lessons she taught me have prepared me for advanced classes (and I miss our debates). These two teachers have influenced my profoundly while preparing me for challenges later in my life and academic career.
In addition to these two teachers, I still have two more teachers to recognize. The third teacher I would like to recognize is Coach Bryan Norman. Coach Norman taught me history and led a trip to Europe during spring break of 2018. Coach Norman reinforced my love for history, and I always learned well in his classes. When we went to Europe, I learned more about the world and the world’s history than I had ever learned anywhere else. This trip also formed my desire to travel to other places. Last but certainly not least, I would like to recognize Mrs. Mandy Feasel. Mrs. Feasel taught me English Composition I and II during my junior year of high school (for my junior and senior English credit), and I refined my reading and writing skills extensively. The lessons I learned in Mrs. Feasel’s classes still come in handy today, and her influence led me to major in English while in college. Mrs. Feasel is one of the best teachers I have ever had, and I miss her classes.
All of these teachers have impacted me in several ways, and this does not even begin to fully appreciate all of the teachers at Union Public Schools. The teachers at our school truly care about their students and will always provide quality education. I credit most of my success in college to the teachings of my terrific high school teachers, and I still use the lessons they taught me in my college classes. With everything going on in the world today, teachers could easily feel underappreciated and unsupported, but the people and students of Union supports our teachers because without teachers, nothing else is possible.
