History with Mr. M.

My high school academic career got off to a great start thanks in large to a great teacher, Mr. M. Mr. M. taught 9th grade United States History at DeMatha Catholic High School.

Mr. M. set the standard for every teacher to come after. So far I haven't come across anyone more intriguing and I'm graduating from college this spring.

Before getting into what made him such a great teacher you should know a little more about me at the time. I was in a new school and had just made the jump from middle to high school. So you can imagine how nervous and scared I must have been coming to class. Another key ingredient was that history was one of my least favorite subjects. Enough about me, let's get into why he was such a great teacher.

Mr. M. taught history so well that you thought you were actually in the war. He would jump on desks, hide behind tables, run back and forth in front of the room, he would do any and everything to place a visual in your mind of what was going on. He placed visuals so well that studying the night before was a breeze.

My overall grade for the year was an A. Not only did I receive an A, I received the highest number grade in the class, 101. Since then, I have only received a grade equal to that or higher once and my highest history grade has been a B.

This goes to show that sometimes it's not the subject but the teacher. Mr. M. could have taught an acting class he was so good with his improvising. The only side effect has been that I had him my freshman year in high school. I have been in school eight years since and still have yet to come across a more interesting teacher.

-Chris Banks