Mr. Brengosz was my functions teacher, during my junior year at Arrowhead High school. He was the reason I started to like math. I think the only time he ever called me by my first name was the initial week of his class. Other than that I am known as “Jackson” to him.  

 His classroom environment was always casual. He did facts of the day at the start of each class. This consisted of cool facts about literally anything. Most of them were about random information that rarely pertained to me, yet I still found myself curious and asking further questions. 

In my second semester of junior year, I had his class first hour, and I tended to be late a decent amount in that class; however, it wasn’t ever more than two minutes late. He would make fun of me for being late but never held it against me. Especially since I had it first hour he was always understanding. He made school more casual and less nerve-racking. As well as helping me when I was struggling on a quiz or just didn’t understand the concept in general. 

Besides being understanding, he has been one of the funniest teachers I have had. He is like a comedian, making you laugh even if you’re not in the mood. We poke fun at each other without it being seen as presumptuous. Math isn’t one of my favorite subjects, but I don’t mind it either. Having him as a teacher made math a lot more enjoyable. 

Other than being my functions teacher, he was actively involved and wanted to know more about my life other than topics related to math. After junior year, he was no longer my teacher but still acted as if nothing had changed. He wrote my letter of recommendation this year as well as staying up to date on the colleges I got into. He always seemed excited when hearing about my success.

I would see him in the hallway and he would say something like, “Jackson!!! Just the person I wanted to see.”

Or when he heard about how I got into the University of Tennessee Knoxville, he stopped me in the hallway and said “I heard someone got into Tennessee!” Leaving me with a feeling of satisfaction that someone acknowledged my hard work.

As a baseball coach, he was involved with sports. He knew I played soccer and also knew I didn’t play much during my junior year. But he also never made fun of me for not playing. Being a coach himself, I think he knew how that goes. He knew I put in the effort but just wasn’t particularly there yet. He always went out of his way to ask how a game went, if my coach put me in that game, etc. 

His involvement in my life other than just my grade in the class is a trait I think every teacher should possess. It makes the student feel welcomed and like they have an adult at school they feel comfortable talking to. Everyone needs a Mr. Brengosz.