About to begin my first class with Mr. Saft in my junior year of high school, I was more than a little nervous. Rumors of his penchant for torturing students were well known by everyone at my high school. But, I also knew that he was well-loved and revered by students who got to know him, so I went into the class with an open mind and strong nerves.
It turned out that the rumors were true: Mr. Saft was tough. We practiced the Socratic method by picking apart virtually everything students said or wrote, which led to much embarrassment but also significant enlightenment. I will always remember the day that he asked one of my classmates to define laughter. She tried and failed and was sent out into the hallway to ponder this until she had reached a definition, none of which ever satisfied Mr. Saft. All of Mr. Saft’s antics were always performed with an excellent sense of humor and a genuine desire to see his students learn.
In Mr. Saft’s class, we weren’t taught facts and dates but instead how to think critically and question the accepted. Mr. Saft built his life and teaching career around questioning authority, which got him into constant trouble with the school administration. I quickly became a strong advocate for tenure, because I realized that was the only reason the best teacher I ever had still had a job
I think it is so sad that the administration was so threatened by the independent thinking of Mr. Saft and his well-taught students, because to me, Mr. Saft exemplified what a perfect teacher should be. He was himself on a lifelong quest for truth and knowledge, and he shared his fierce desire to learn with his students. He had such faith in me as a student that I always want to make him proud, even now when I go back to visit as a former student. Mr. Saft was the most unconventional teacher I ever had, and unequivocally the best.
-- Katie Rowan, American University