When you’re in high school, you have classes that you don’t want to take, but have to. But most students have one class they look forward to. For me, that class isn’t lunch or gym, but psychology. And the reason I enjoy Psych is because I have the same teacher that taught me US History: Mr. Herriot.
On the first day of class, he had us answer questions about ourselves, and then he had us ask questions about him (as well as the course). So, as soon as the course begins, he knows us (at least a little), and we know him.
His way of teaching makes Psych a fun thing to learn about. For one thing, he’s sarcastic and will joke about the material. For instance, back in US History, if the answer given was Germany he would exclaim “Ze Germans!” But, that’s the thing about Mr. Herriot: he’s funny and keeps our attention. But my favorite “Herriot-ism” is what he says at the end of class every day. He always says “See you tomorrow. Try not to do drugs. All day.” Even though he’s joking about it, he tells us this on a daily basis, so that we will think twice about it should it come up.
Part of what makes his teaching effective is how he speaks. Half the time, he talks like a drill sergeant, and the other half of the time he talks softly This makes it difficult to lose concentration (even for me with my ADD).
He’s also clearly dedicated to his work. For instance, last year he hurt his back while skiing and he was out a few days. But, despite his back being messed up, he came back later in the week. One student asked him why he didn’t just stay home (because he could). He said, “I have to teach the children.” Even though he downplayed it, this shows how dedicated he is to teaching, which to me, is very inspiring.
On a daily basis, he makes sure we keep up to date with current events. Even though he may joke about it, he knows many of us wouldn’t know what was going on in the world without him. And he understands the importance of us knowing about current events. Because sadly, high school students can be so involved with menial things, that we could completely miss things like Putin going to the UN for the first time in years.
Mr. Herriot is a dedicated, and interesting person, who makes taking a not inherently fun course fun. If he weren’t my teacher, I probably wouldn’t be interested in psych. That’s why Mr. Herriot is my teacher of the year.