The first day of my jewelry class, I thought I was going to hate it. It looked like a lot of machinery would be used and that it was more of a boys class. But then I saw Mr. Herb Johnson. I had him once before freshman year and remembered him as a great teacher. Mr. Johnson made class unintimidating—and he relentlessly made sure I got help if I needed it. One day, when he while helping me, we had a laidback conversation. He told me about his life in Arizona, about his brothers, work, school, and his life at home. Mr. Johnson made a personal connection with each of his students; never did I feel like I couldn’t talk to him and he always made everyone feel comfortable.


Not only is Mr. Johnson good at being a friend in the classroom, but he is also good at teaching. At the beginning of each semester, Mr. Johnson would tell us that he did some research to see how people learn and remember things and he adjusted his way of teaching to make sure students would remember what he taught. First, he always briefly explains what the project is that we’re going to be doing. Then, he shows us a video of him doing the different tasks (to see what we would have to do), and then we do it. This way of explaining allows everyone to understand what they have to do, and if we didn’t, Mr. Johnson was right there to help.
Most importantly, Mr. Johnson is extremely calm and handles himself well. Last semester, when a boy came up to him, holding his bloody hand, exclaiming, “I just cut the tip of my finger off,” Mr. Johnson’s calm demeanor never faltered. Mr. Johnson coolly and swiftly took care of the boy while he made sure the class stayed calm and collected.
To me, Mr. Johnson is like a dad because he knows me and helps me with my issues. If I’m having a bad day, he will be goofy and cheer me up, or tell me his experiences and give me advice. Whenever I need to go talk to someone, I know I can go to him. And no matter what, Mr. Johnson will stop what he was doing and have a conversation with me and ask me about my day and life. I have never had a teacher actually care or wonder about me like he did.
Mr. Johnson, throughout the three years I’ve had him as a teacher, found ways to help me learn things I never dreamed of learning; that is why I return to his class, year after year. Mr. Herb Johnson is more than just my jewelry teacher; he is also my friend, my father figure, and my favorite.