Page 9 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2023 - Online Magazine

2 SENIOR 2 SENIOR
Senior
Senior
Pam Ryan
Exemplary Teacher
n impactful quote credited to Roy T.
Bennett states, “One of the best ways to
Ainfluence people is to make them feel
important.” When reading this quote, one person
comes to my mind: my junior year Research and
English teacher, Mrs. Pam Ryan.
by Portia Clary
Every day that I walked into Mrs. Ryan’s classroom,
I experienced and witnessed the value of being
treated as an important individual. Mrs. Ryan took
the time to know and understand each and every
one of her students with their unique personalities.
As a high schooler with an intensive academic and
extracurricular schedule, I always appreciated her
efforts to try to understand and sympathize with
me and my classmates’ lives. Her compassion for
each of her students makes us feel valued and
creates an uplifting and motivating classroom
environment.
The junior year of high school is often considered
the most challenging year of high school, as
juniors prepare for college applications, take
rigorous classes, and face immense pressure to
achieve a high GPA. Throughout this difficult
year, many students in my class, including myself,
became overwhelmed with the expectations and,
consequently, lost faith in ourselves. In those
moments of self-doubt, Mrs. Ryan made the
greatest impact in my life. She explained to my
class that, when we do not achieve as high as we
hope to, it is not always because we lack effort or
do not have the potential but instead because we are
human beings who have both good days and bad
days. As simple as this is, I had never thought about
it before. Students are constantly expected to make
high grades without any inconsistencies, and, when
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