An Appreciation

Mr. Bivona, superintendent of Brookfield's schools, recently asked the  seniors about our experience at Brookfield High School (BHS). He wanted our input as to what worked in our four years and what we thought could be improved upon.

Since I have , and am thus still filled with the gamut of emotions resulting from the end of my high school career, I can say with certainty that I will . There will always be problems in a public high school — not enough money in the system, too large class sizes — and my transition back into BHS from my fall semester at the Chewonki Semester School during my junior is not an ordeal I'd like to repeat, but I think this school does deserve its spot as “” in Connecticut.

As evidence, I'd like to point to the teachers at Brookfield. They are what makes the school function, serving not only as educators, but also as mediators, advisers and friends. A BHS without its current teaching staff would be an entirely new entity because each teacher puts some of himself or herself into the classroom, dedicating so much effort for the benefit of the students.

I think it is easy to get lost in a big school like Brookfield High, with some classes pushing 30 students, so as a freshman and sophomore, when relationships aren't fully established, it can be hard to find one's way. Sometimes, teachers can be overwhelmed by the number of students in a class — and their haggardness detracts from all students' ability to learn.

Every relationship, however, requires input from two people, so if a student demonstrates interest, I know that there are plenty of teachers at BHS who are willing, and even grateful for the chance, to help that interest grow. The best teachers are those who treat their students as adults, recognizing and respecting the maturity that we can (occasionally) have. This also means that students have a responsibility to keep the respect of our teachers by acting like the young adults we want to be treated as.

This system brings out the best in both: the student wants to perform well for the teacher, and the teacher wants to go further for the student. I've had teachers in all subjects, across all years, who have done this for me. I am grateful for having gotten to know them.

I think the one thing that students forget is that teachers are people too. They aren't unfeeling machines whose sole purpose is to inflict as much pain as possible in the form of essays and bamboozling problem sets. That might be difficult to understand after night-after-night of homework, but it's worth accepting, because teachers have a lot to offer: a warm “hello” in the hallway, a sanctuary in which to eat lunch, help on a particularly confusing physics question, wisdom and perspective on the problems of a high school student and genuine interest and concern in the lives of their students.

I still talk with teachers I've only had a single class with back in freshman year. All my teachers mean a lot to me, and I know that they've played a vital role in my high school career. I appreciate them now, and I'm sure my appreciation will only grow as I discover just how much they've given me.

Thank you, teachers of Brookfield High School!