Teaching is a very hard job. Some reasons for this can include, rapid change in technology, different student behaviors, patience, dedication, and relatively low pay. While all this is true, teaching is also a very important and rewarding job and teachers teach so they can spread what they are so passionate about. Some of these teachings can have a great impact on the students. In our school, we have one such teacher, Mr. Mapp.

Recently, Mr. Mapp has won 3 awards: the North Carolina Art Education Association, High-School Teacher of the Year, and Art Teacher of the Year. While I could go on talking about the great teacher that he is, I would not be able to do justice to that topic. Instead, I will let some of his students share what they think makes Mr. Mapp such a great teacher.

According to Jasmine Patil, a sophomore who has Mr. Mapp, “He’s a good teacher… I learn a lot in his class, and he encourages me…” Sam Buchireddy, a freshman who also has Mr. Mapp, has positive things to say as well. “He incorporates a lot of things that happen in the real world… he doesn’t just talk about the basic painters that we already know… everyone in the classroom feels included and he gives us a lot of creative freedom so we get to do what we want to do..”  J.P Dew, another freshman who is in Mr. Mapp’s class, also has good things to say “Mr. Mapp has a lot of energy, so it makes the class a lot more fun, a lot more enjoyable to be in.”

Even after Mr. Mapp’s evident success in teaching and several nationally recognized achievements, he still keeps a modest and humble attitude. As per Mr. Mapp, “How do I feel? Very weird, because I think awards like this are so subjective… As a teacher and as an artist, you are always doubting yourself, so whenever you get any kind of recognition, you kind of feel scared about it ” All in all, Mr. Mapp has proven to be a great and humble teacher who teaches truly out of passion and has proven by his awards and in his interviews.