Demanding, But Fun

In the eleventh grade, I took the Advanced Placement US History class during fourth period. It was one of the most demanding classes I've ever taken, but also one of the most fun. I went into it insisting that I didn't like US History and it was a waste of time to take the course, but found that I was mistaken about both sentiments.

Larry F. didn't try to disguise the difficulty of his class. He claimed that he would assign approximately three hours of homework every night. We were not on a block schedule, so we met five days a week. None of us believed that we could have fifteen hours of homework per week - let alone for one class. He was a man of his word, though, and I got little sleep my junior year of high school. He was fond of saying that at the end, we would forget more information than most people would ever learn. After seven years, I can no longer recall all the detailed facts and events I knew by heart then, but I still remember several specific lessons because of the way he taught.

Though I didn't get sleep, I got many other things from Mr. F's class. He put in at least as much energy and effort as we did, bringing in a variety of lessons that often went over into the next period. His dedication to the class made us feel special - the morning his daughter was born he came in just for our class, then went back home to his new family. It felt great to be that worthy of someone's time.

Mr. F also let us know that he believed in our ability not only to pass, but to excel at the AP exam. He gave practice tests in class and writing sessions during lunch and after school. He encouraged study groups and quiz games before chapter tests. He asked us to collect and memorize "nuggets," famous quotes we could use to illustrate points on the essay portion of the AP. At one point, we watched the film Dr. Strangelove, and had to stop the tape every time we heard an historical reference in order to explain to what the film was referring. He also made sure to give us breaks and show his appreciation for our hard work. One day, he brought in a cake and a few other times, we went to the soccer field during class and played ultimate Frisbee. When the AP exam was over, Mr. F made sure we had a few days of relaxing before starting a creative film project on decades of the 20th century. Larry went above and beyond what his role required.

His fun personality also captured our attention. Mr. F could do voices, so, for example, when we talked about Carnegie, Larry would speak in a Scottish accent. For the roaring twenties, he brought in some dance music and showed us how to dance like flappers. One of the most meaningful lessons I remember, though, had a much more serious tone. When we came into the classroom that day, there was a line of masking tape on the floor with markings on it every ten inches or so. We sat at our desks and took out our notebooks as usual, but Larry had other plans. He asked us to lie down on the floor in between the markings and to stay like that for the entire class. He still lectured, we still took notes - the topic was the slave trade. Mr. F wanted to simulate, as closely as he could in a classroom, the cramped, uncomfortable position slaves were made to stay in as they crossed oceans from Africa and the Caribbean to the United States. He would not tolerate complaints, reminding us that at the end of class, we would have the freedom to get up and walk out.

Besides his excellent teaching style, Mr. F was fun outside the classroom as well. He had coached Mock Trial in the past, so he came to some of our practices and competitions that year. We started a water balloon fight during lunch that he eagerly joined. He allowed us to call him Larry, or by his last name, indicating that he respected as adults.

I took a lot away from Mr. F's AP US History class, but two things in particular stand out. Pedagogically, he was the first teacher I had who was as demanding as he was fun - he taught me that good teaching can inspire students in a subject matter that they dislike. Academically, he taught me about perspective. At the beginning of the year, one of the first lessons he shared was this: "History is always told by the winners." Though we didn't always have time to look at alternative histories, Mr. F taught us to analyze the information we studied and to be aware of its biases. Often history is presented as truth and fact, but Larry asked us to question. It takes a strong teacher to allow students the freedom to question what he/she presents.

My younger brother had Larry F for history class two years later. I had thought in some ways that my history class was special and that was why Larry put forth so much effort. So when Brendan told me about the things they did in his class - similar things to what I had experienced - I was a little surprised. I realize in hindsight, though, that Mr. F was a good teacher because of his ability to make each class feel special. He obviously loved what he was doing and wanted to share that with all of his students.

-- Bethany McAndrew