Teachers are arguably the most important part of a fun school environment. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to learn new things, and have new experiences. Having a good teacher makes school something to look forward to, rather than feeling like an obligation. 

Feehan has many good teachers that make coming here a fun experience, but one that I want to focus on is Mrs. Smith. She is a math teacher who teaches Algebra 1, Geometry, and AP Stats. Mrs. Smith wanted to become a math teacher because of a teacher that she had in high school, Mrs. Torreiri, which shows how much of an impact good teachers have on us. She loves being a math teacher because, “it is universal and with practice anyone can do it”. 

Mrs. Smith loves Feehan because of the community that we create. “Whether it’s in my classroom, in the hallway, at a sporting event, or theatre performance, everyone is always so supportive of each other and it feels so comfortable”. When Mrs. Smith isn’t teaching, she is working on her kickball coaching skills (her comeback year is coming), and hanging out with her kids, Tommy (12) and Delia (10). Mrs. Smith tries to make the atmosphere of Feehan inclusive and fun by creating a tinsta (teacher instagram), playing games in her homeroom, and sometimes in classes too (sometimes math-related). She said that creating the tinsta shows kids that “math class isn’t scary, and we can have fun and learn at the same time.” 

One of Mrs. Smith’s favorite memories was being in person with her classes, especially her AP Stats class. “I have so many great memories here and I have loved all of my classes in the past. However, this year’s Senior AP Stats class has left a mark on me that will last a lifetime. After Covid, like most teachers, I was feeling the burn out. The summer wasn’t long enough to really re-energize myself for another year. Enter the class of 2022. They immediately brought so much life back into this building. They were thankful to all be together, even with masks on, you could see their smiles. They wanted it to be normal and with their help, it finally did feel normal again. They filled my classroom with laughter and joy. They reminded me why I am here and what I love about this job. I am forever thankful to them.” 

I asked a couple students from her classes what they like about having Mrs. Smith as a teacher, and how important it is to have a good teacher. Mya Buss, from Mrs. Smith’s geometry class said that, “I like the way she establishes relationships with her students, the games she plays, and how caring and understanding she is towards others”. Another student from the same class, Lauren O’Reilly, said, “I like her fun energy she brings to class, how she’s always there for extra help if you need it, and how we always play heardle, nerdle, and so many other games every class.” Another student from her AP Stats class, Grace Klingaman, said that,