Today I had the pleasure of observing a great history teacher in the form of Mr. Ngo. It was pretty stellar seeing him incorporate Hamilton into his lesson, and seeing his passion for the content being covered. And even though he probably won’t be teaching forever, I find him an extraordinary teacher. His ability to connect to his students is definitely his strongest asset, the 8th graders from last year coming back nearly every week to help him.
Mr. Ngo reminds me a lot of myself in a way. Just like him, I started off teaching in a very idealistic way, hoping that if I was just nice to the students that they would nice back. We both learned the hard way the struggles of classroom management. Needless to say, he has bounced back to do an amazing job managing his students this year. At the same time, he has won their hearts over by doing amazing history lessons and by being nice to them. Somehow, he was able to do what I was unable to – be nice to the students, and earn their respect (I’ve adopted quite the opposite approach).
With the way he’s improved over the last year, it’s going to be sad watching him leave teaching. Alas, I know he’ll be much happier using his ability to connect with students and people to promote climbing and a physical lifestyle. Props to him for always striving for more, and wanting what’s best for him internally and externally.
Our history department would not be as awesome without him. And although we might part ways next year, a part of him will always remain in my heart. And I’m ngo even kidding.
