At first, I didn’t know what to think of Mr. Rosser. In other words, I didn’t know whether to take him seriously or not. He has a tendency to berate a student and then immediately confess how sorry he is for scolding them.

He also tends to say things that don’t really make much sense. Other times he begins to make a comment, but then just trails off such as, “Tomorrow, I think I’ll bring some sort of large stick.” He just stops. Right there. His entire class is left befuddled.

I think many people don’t take the time to try to understand Mr. Rosser. He sort of looks like a “German walrus” as another teacher once referred to him. And sure, he tends to give a lot of homework and insanely difficult reading quizzes, but that’s just his Teacher Persona.

I began to realize this when I received a paper back from him completely filled with red pen marks. I was confused because my previous English teachers have always had nothing but nice things to say about my essays. After that, I decided I would really try to make all of my papers excellent.

The next paper I got back was the same deal. Red marks littered nearly every sentence. It took me awhile to realize, but eventually his remarks became so nit-picky that I am certain he had to have been trying very hard to find things that were wrong.

So, that’s when I realized the truth: Mr. Rosser is sneaky. Although I thought that my writing couldn’t be improving, all the while it had been. I don’t think I want to know how long he spends grading papers, but I know it must be a very long time. Despite having close to thirty students per class, he gives every student personal attention. Most students haven’t even realized it.