Imagine this…A teacher that is compassionate and captivating while still being cheerful. A teacher that is factual and fascinating with a fiery personality. A teacher that wants to and is willing to work with you.

As if being a high school chemistry teacher at Arrowhead High School isn’t hard enough, try being the best teacher too. This includes inspiring seniors, juniors, and even a handful of sophomores everyday all day long. I am talking about a responsive and relatable role model: Mrs. Koch.

Anyone who is anyone at Arrowhead High School knows the chemistry teacher you want is Mrs. Koch, and as the schedules started to come out at the beginning of summer, I realized I was one of the lucky few. Eighth hour chemistry everyday, with Mrs. Koch. Going into high school, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. This meant I had to take a lot of science classes, including chemistry. As a lot of people assume, only a select few actually enjoy chemistry. .

Naturally, as the school year began, I was hesitant about meeting her and about the class in general because I had known it was going to be a tough class to do perform well in. But it quickly became obvious that Mrs. Koch was going to be one of the most helpful and genuine people I was going to meet. She was honest, saying that this class isn’t easy, that we will need to memorize a lot of things, and that there is going to homework every night. And boy, she was not kidding.

Although she wasn’t kidding, we were never alone on the journey, Mrs. Koch takes time and was talkative through it all. She reassured us if we had questions, and made sure everyone in the group understood, and if they didn’t, she reached out to people falling behind offering to come in early, or offering to stay late. She makes sure all the students in her class weren’t just passing the class, but rather actually understanding the material.

I was one of the students who needed extra help. At first, this seemed like the worst possible situation, but it turned out the be the best possible thing for me. Mrs. Koch and I found a time we could get together and we worked together everyday for a month straight. This was when I was fortunate enough to know Mrs. Koch on a more personal level, which brought me closer to her. I knew I wanted her as my chemistry teacher, but what I didn’t know was the influence she would have on my life.

As great of a role model that she is, that can’t compare to her methods of educating. Not only did she teach it in a way that was interesting, but also inspiring. So much so that I have had the confidence to enroll into AP chemistry next year. And, I’m even considering switching my college major towards chemistry. She has inspired me to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist, which will require two extra years of chemistry based schooling.

Going into my junior year I had known I wanted Mrs. Koch to teach me, but it has had way more of an impact on me and my future than I ever thought. Now I know why Mrs. Koch is one of the very best, and she continues to prove herself everyday. I am thankful for every second I have shared with Mrs. Koch and that I am lucky enough to have a teacher that does the unimaginable.