The first time I met Mr. Reichle was not through class, but for a school trip to Germany. Traveling across the world with a teacher and a bunch of students I didn’t know was slightly intimidating for me, since I’d only ever traveled with family. The only person I knew was my friend Nick, who needed lots of convincing to come along.

As soon as it was decided that I would go to Germany, Mr. Reichle made an effort to get to know me. Whenever I passed by him in the hall, he would say hello or make small talk to me. He has a very humorous and outgoing personality, and I grew to like him very quickly.

By the time our trip came around, Mr. Reichle was easily one of my favorite teachers, and I had never even had him in class.

In Germany, Mr. Reichle always made sure we were having a good time. He interacted with us in a way that made each of us feel like his favorite. One time at dinner, we were served two large pork chops, potatoes, and vegetables. It was a lot– even for us teenagers. Everyone was still trying to finish their first pork chop when Mr. Reichle stood up from his empty plate and started walking through our tables.

“I could eat your whole plate, your whole plate, your potatoes…” he went around pointing to each of our unfinished meals. 

I offered him my pork chop to be funny (he ended up eating it). When the server came around to give us dessert, Mr. Reichle joked that none of us deserved to have any since we didn’t finish our main course.

One day in the Alps, we met an influencer named Jack Wright. Mr. Reichle had never heard of him, but when we explained that he was a famous tik toker, Mr. Reichle got very excited and even got a picture with him. For the rest of the day he didn’t stop talking about how he was officially the coolest teacher, and that he’d frame that picture in his classroom. Remember, he didn’t even know Jack Wright existed before then.

I liked Mr. Reichle so much that I added his AP Euro class to my schedule senior year. Even in school, his personality remained humorous and outgoing. He interacts with his students in a way that makes us all feel like his favorite, and turns a class of students into a group of friends.

Mr. Reichle is the type of teacher that you remember for the rest of your life. He is friendly yet respectable, and creates a happy environment for everyone. I’ve created so many memories with him that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Not only did I have him as a teacher, but I was lucky enough to be able to travel across the world with him and get to know his personality outside school.