Math. A four letter word I dread to hear. I struggle each year, in each math class. Looking at my junior schedule, I saw I had Advanced Algebra, second hour, with a teacher I had never heard of. My first thoughts were, Really? Math first thing in the morning...This is going to be the death of me. But I walked into the class and found a seat. This man stood in front of 30 kids explaining his rules and expectations. They were different. We would have cummaltive tests throughout the year. Great...This class really is going to kill me. I was intimidated already. Then he explained we would be reading the textbook every night and be expected to take notes, and to try problems on our own. I had never had to do this before and I thought it wasn’t going to help me learn. But…I was wrong.

I went home and read the assigned sections. I continued to try the practice problems but I was stumped. I could do some of the problems, but not all. So I decided to go see my new teacher the next morning. He was more than welcoming and willing to help me. He was excited. He sat down next to me and explained the problem I was struggling with. I couldn’t believe I was understanding so easily. Once he was finished helping me, I had a whole different outlook on the class. Maybe I would be able to succeed this year.

Throughout the school year, I continued to get help from Mr. Destache—and I wasn’t intimidated when asking for help. I was understanding math more than I ever have before. And I took pride in my work. But Mr. Destache wasn’t only my math teacher. He forced me to decide what I would learn and accomplish, not only in school, but also in life. I looked up to him and the way he cared about students, their future and success. I talked to him about my goals for college and life and he supported me and helped me with solutions to reach these goals.

The memory I cherish the most is the time when Mr. Destache tried to help me cope with my test anxiety. He knew I understood the material because of the times I came in for help. But when I was taking the tests, I was getting questions wrong that I shouldn't. So he came into school at 6:30am to meet me. I took the test then. He thought if I took it in the morning right away, with no distractions, I would do better. I couldn’t believe he came to school so early… just for me.And taking the test early helped me improve with my test taking skills.
Mr. Destache kept me focused and motivated. He taught me there was no obstacle or challenge I couldn’t overcome. As long as I worked hard, kept to my true self and understood, there was always room for improvement, and I would succeed. Mr. Destache helped me have a new respect for math, for school, and for teachers.Thanks to his dedication to students, life lessons, and respect for others, I am a new, improved student.