I used to despise everything involving public speaking, American history and government. My history classes in high school were the most boring, unmotivating hours of the day, and I was terrified of speaking in front of people. Even just in front of the class, I avoided it at all costs. However, my current major is political science, and I love speaking in front of large groups of people. The person responsible for this drastic change is a man by the name of Mike Rubin.
When I walked into American History on the first day of school my junior year, I was expecting more of the same old stuff. I was hit with a Koosh ball. A short, humorous-looking man was smiling broadly and motioning for me to send the ball back his way. At this point, I had the general feeling that this would be like no other history class I had yet had in high school. My assumptions proved to be right. Over the next few weeks, I learned more in that class than I had in my previous two years of social studies. He didn’t just teach, he helped us learn. He was always fun and interesting, from playing Simpsons clips for us to making jokes about ridiculous political happenings. Our review sessions for his tests consisted of a competitive game in which bonus points could be earned (and this was good for me; I’m very competitive).
Then came the 2000 presidential election. Mr. Rubin was organizing a mock debate as he had done for the past couple elections. I wanted to take part in it, but it would be in the auditorium in front of hundreds of people—at this point I still had a great fear of public speaking. However, he worked with me after school a couple days a week on debating and speaking in front of people, and when the big day came, I debated as Al Gore and did a great job. Ever since then, I have developed a taste for public speaking, thanks to his motivation and assistance.
When applying for colleges, I stated my intended major to be political science thanks to him. The reason I am here at AU is because of him. He aided my search, and helped me with my application and wrote a long letter of recommendation. I owe my current schooling and my future career plans to the greatest teacher I have ever had: Mike Rubin.
-- Bob Barna, American University