A Memory

The other day I was telling Sam and Eloise about my high school math teacher, Mr. Froelich. Mr. Froelich was someone I really admired. He loved math and was no nonsense about teaching. He knew how to explain a concept. He wore a pocket protector to protect his white shirt pocket where he carried 3 or 4 pens. He had a subtle sense of humor but wasn't bothered when he didn't get a laugh. Students liked him in the way they like a teacher who challenges them but doesn't try to be a friend. When you went to Mr. Froelich's class, you did your work and learned some math.

Later, as a teacher myself, I realized that one of my favorite things about Mr. Froelich was how he quietly locked the door each morning when the tardy bell rang. No big deal. You're late, you wait. Mr. Froelich unlocked the door when it wasn't interrupting his lesson to do so. This was usually just a couple of minutes into class, but geez, he made his point. Then, when you finally entered the room, you just took your seat, where materials waited for you, and got to work.

I was personally familiar with Mr. Froelich's tardiness policy because I was routinely tardy my junior year for his first period class. My best friend, J, took me to school every day that year and being on time was not her thing. I must have been tardy twice a week for an entire spring semester. Mr. Froelich's subtle yet consequential approach to tardies applied directly to me.

Besides being locked outside his door each week, another consequence of the tardies was that I had to take the final test for his class. This was something students tried to avoid, and if you had good attendance and met some grade benchmark, you were excused from finals. It's odd, but rarely did I take a final test in my high school career.

But I did take Mr. Froelich's test, and thanks to his good teaching and the genuine interest he had fostered, I remember actually enjoying his final test. The next day, when I stopped by his room to ask how I had performed, he said, "You got them all. Now get out of here and have a good summer."

That's my memory of Mr. Froelich. He was all about respect for the math, and I respected him for that.