Students all around the world get to school, handle their business and leave once the final bell rings. But that doesn’t always apply to their teachers.
Most students don’t know what the life of a teacher is like. Questions like, “What happens for the teacher once the bell rings and every student leaves?” and “What is it like to be responsible for teaching and protecting more than a hundred students every single day for nine whole months?” never come across the average student’s mind.
Students don’t think twice about these kinds of questions, but it’s important to stop and think about what a teacher goes through and sacrifices everyday to help kids learn, grow, and prepare for their adult life.
FVHS has a wonderful staff with so many kind and lovely people, too many for one article to cover. However, one teacher’s relentless commitment to making FVHS a better place for students really stands out. FVHS’s earth science and physics teacher, David St. Clair.
“I’m more engaging. I’m also more relaxed in my classroom management. I feel that a lot of kids, especially boys, need to get up and moving, and I allow that. I’m the type of teacher that wants to help you understand the problem you got wrong so that you truly learn it. A lot of teachers just do the whole grade thing, but I want to sit the kid down and say ‘Hey, you got this wrong, and that’s okay, but now let’s figure out why you got it wrong,’” St. Clair said.
St. Clair’s style of teaching is what many FVHS students love about him. Kids feel safe going into his class knowing he’s on their side and not a “robotic servant to the educational system” as some students called it. As a teacher, St. Clair is responsible for over a hundred students everyday, and his mindset really shows what kind of guy he is.
“I don’t see it as power. I love and respect all my students and I don’t feel like the kind of guy who’s power hungry. Like I said earlier, I want to get my students to actually learn from the mistakes they make instead,” St. Clair said.
He elaborates further by explaining how he helps his students learn from their mistakes.
“You know, if I catch a kid vaping, I take it away and everything, but I show the kid an article or a video on the negative health effects that vaping has on them. I’ve had kids who came back three years after they graduated and said ‘I haven’t vaped since the day you caught me, Mr. St. Clair.’” St. Clair said. “I strive to actually help my students learn and grow from mistakes instead of sending them to the office. If you send a kid to the office for vaping and they get in trouble, does that really help them learn the error of their ways? No. All it does is give them the opportunity to do it again.”
A lot of FVHS students like St. Clair, and for good reason. One student gave some insight on what he thinks of him.
Junior Dylan Burr said, “I have Mr. St. Clair for third period physics honors. I feel like I can confide in him when I need help because he’s not going for an intimidation approach, he wants to help you in any way he can. He’s one of my favorite teachers because of how down to earth and real he is. He’s one of the only teachers I know that sees how students see instead of just black and white.”
As you can see, St. Clair’s commitment to helping students learn and develop while also being more relaxed and understanding makes him a fan favorite FVHS teacher.
