Very grateful to have had Mr. Pfhol as my teacher

To the Editor:
Mr. Pfohl.... If I had to rate this teacher on a scale from one to ten on my scale of teachers, he would be one of the only three I would ever give a ten. This seems like a perplexing answer, does it not? In truth, it is not. I have my reasons for what I believe.
One thing that makes him such an incredible teacher is his enjoyable and witty teaching style. He engages you in such ways that are fun and playful. He keeps you paying attention while making things like the Civil War fun to learn. Thanks to him, I will never forget who John Brown is.
Secondly, he is someone I could confide in. I trusted him with all my problems. I knew he would always give me incredible advice. He always had my best interests at heart. I always knew whatever problems I had, I was one hundred percent sure I had a teacher who would support me through them. Now I do not have that sense of reassurance.
Thirdly, he has done something no other teacher has ever been able to accomplish. He instilled confidence into me. For the past four years, I have never had confidence in myself. I had been chastised for being myself and being smart, so I lost all confidence. But, Mr. Pfohl, he changed that. He inspired me to be me and confident.
I used to answer his questions like this:
“I bet I'm wrong but...” or “I bet I don't understand this.”
This is what he told my parents on the first parent teacher night. In that same breath, he gave me a brilliant speech. I do not remember his exact words, but he told me to be myself no matter what, and that everyone goes through this feeling.
And so, I overcame it. I think his work is evident. Before, I was too afraid to do anything that required speaking or presentation. However, that has changed. I am a member of the Guidance Advisory Council, a Student Ambassador, as well as a self-proclaimed advocate for a better future for Wallenpaupack. Mr. Pfohl was the one who gave me this confidence, this passion for rights that I have now. I will forever be thankful for that.
Mr. Pfohl had made such an incredible impact on my life. He has taught me so much, and not only social studies, but life skills. I can not imagine a Wallenpaupack High School without his cheerful joking greeting me every third block on B days, or his friendly smiles in the hallways.
I can say without a doubt that I am very proud to be his student. Though I complain about how hard his work is, I know he always does it to challenge us. He wants to see us succeed and it is brilliant.
Overall, I could not have gotten luckier with who I have as my teacher. Even if he does not return, he will still live on as someone who impacted my life forever. It takes a college degree to be an educator, but it takes passion and heart to be a teacher.
Amanda Madison
Wallenpaupack High School