A Class Act

Every time I think back on my years in high school, not only do I reminisce about the fun memories at school dances, chorus concerts, and football games, but also I often think about an influential teacher that helped to inspire a love of math and science into my life. Mr. Pate, my physics teacher, had been a teacher at my high school for many years before I sat in his classroom for the first time my junior year. Even my brother had taken two classes of Mr. Pates’ before he went off to a technical school to become an engineer. Mr. Pate was just one of those people that had a way of captivating a room and sharing his passion for discovery with others.

The excitement and energy that Mr. Pate brought to the subject of physic was very inspiring. He was always at the front of room or walking around as he taught each of his lessons. It seems as if every new lesson was the most important to him. I didn’t know why, but he had a way of making the information interesting and fun. I think because he had such a passion for the subject it was impossible for it not to rub off even a little bit. His level of energy kept the attention of his class better than my language arts teacher I had to go to after his class. I never heard of anyone falling asleep in Mr. Pate’s class. Not only did Mr. Pate have a passion for physic, but also articulated a new concept using more than just words.

One day in class Mr. Pate demonstrated the effects of gravity on a ball as it rolled down an elevated ramp. He proceeded to explain what would happen if that same ball were pushed across a level surface without gravity or friction and how inertia would keep the ball in perpetual motion. This is just one of the examples of how Mr. Pate could use manipulatives to get his point across to the students. His real life examples often helped me to understand new concepts that would probably be hard to grasp by simply reading a section out of a book. Actions spoke louder than words in his classroom. In addition to illustrating new concepts by using demonstrations, he also allowed his students the opportunity to design and experience with our own two hands.

One of the main reasons Mr. Pate is so special in my mind is because of the Introduction to Engineering class that I took with him for two years. He allowed my class and several classes before mine, including my brother, to work with hands-on projects on a daily basis. We worked on an actual real airplane design. The first few years that Mr. Pate thought this class he had the students design the fuselage. By the time I entered the class we were working on the inner mechanics of the plane. It was the first class that I ever took where there was so much freedom to chose what assignment I wanted to complete. Mr. Pate even made us chose our partners on each project. This type of atmosphere of independent learning and problem solving helped to prepare me for college where independent study habits are so crucial.

I was not the only student that Mr. Pate influenced throughout his career. I can remember whenever it got close to winter break or the end of the year there were so many of his past students that came back from college to visit him. The students would talk about their experiences at college and often times how well prepared they were for physic at the college level. Mr. Pate’s life experience combined with hearing ex-students of his stories helped to broaden the scope of the classroom.

Mr. Pate would not just talk about physics; he would help us develop study habits as well as good strategies for life. He stressed the importance of self-motivation and setting goals. Also, he motivated me to major in engineering when I went to college. He would often give me advice about college and what to expect. Mr. Pate was so much more of an influence to my college decisions than my high school counselor and that wasn’t even in his job description. This showed me how much he really cared about his students and me.

When it came to teaching strategies, Mr. Pate would reinforce the core principles of physics. He would drill the key points and formulas of physics into the class until it was “automatic.” I will never forget the free body diagrams that we practiced for what felt like eternity. I appreciate this technique more today now that I am an educator myself. I can also appreciate the difficulty of giving personal attention to all the students in a class.

Mr. Pate gave all his students personal attention. I felt like I was the only person he was talking to during a lesson. He had an answer to all my questions, physics related or not. The structure of the engineering class allowed him to walk around the shop area and help each group as they worked on different projects.

The fact that I took three classes with Mr. Pate gave me a true understanding of how he taught and strategies that influenced me in a positive way. Not only did he teach the fundamentals of science, but also guided me to major in engineering. Even though I didn’t continue to pursue a career in engineering, I never forgot the passion I gained from his class to love math and science. That has followed me through my life and helped me to see the value in being an educator. He made me believe that with the love and passion that I have for learning I could be a success. I now feel that I am carrying a small piece of his legacy to my students by bringing energy and passion to the study of mathematics.

-- Betsy A. Shrigley, Flordia Atlantic University