“Ugh, no one is going to be in my class. I’m going to get stuck with a teacher who drones on and on about miniscule facts I’ll probably forget 2.5 seconds after they utter them. This year is going to be a drag.”

No one quite knows what to expect when they start off a brand new school year. A lot of kids are uneasy; I’ll probably still be filled with tension entering my senior year. You look around at your peers and see their heads held high but you know what they’re really thinking inside, “am I having a good hair day?” “Who do I have first period with?” We’re always filled with so much tension and stress we forget about the other half of our school, the teachers.

It had been a long day and 8th period was on the horizon. Science, ugh, my worst subject. I’ve always seemed to have the attention span of a mosquito when it’s come to science. Well, that’s what I thought until I met Mr. Mike Lance.

Mr. Lance strolled in with a powerful surge of energy and incredible enthusiasm. He let us know straight out what was expected of us and filled us in on his life. He attended Plymouth State in Massachusetts and went on to figure out what he wanted to pursue in life. Mr. Lance has always enjoyed coaching and since coaching and teaching go hand in hand he put his interests together. He has a natural aptitude for science and has been teaching for 16 years. Before coming to LHS this year he taught biology and earth science, along with being the department head of science, for 12 years at Leavitt High School. He enjoys being around young people and is realizing how much harder it is being a young person nowadays. He’s someone who realizes what is going on in his surroundings. Not only is he a fabulous teacher but as you can see by his picture he is a loving father who really cares for his daughter. What a man!

After watching Lindsey and Kate pretend to be viruses and squeeze their way into our circle, aka: cell, I realized that this class was going to be a lot more fun than I would have imagined it to be. Talking to Mr. Lance taught me something valuable and something he said to me will now always stick, “Teaching is the one thing where you can give stuff away and still be able to keep it.” It looks as though you can have your cake and eat it too.

I had one final question for Mr. Lance knowing that he is the assistant coach for our JV football team and quite active with the varsity squad. One win, anymore on the way? The answer, “Yes, you bet!”

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