OReilly 1 Sarah OReilly Professor Blair English 1103-25 17 September 2013 The Undeniable Truth about the Best

Teacher Ever After twelve lengthy years of experiencing the public school system, it is sensible to say that students have gone through their fair share of good and bad teachers. Looking back on all of these teachers, I am confident in saying James Bahm was the best teacher I have ever had. I am also confident in saying that any student who has been lucky enough to have a seat in one of those uncomfortable cold blue chairs, alongside the perfectly aligned rows, inside that fluorescent lit history classroom which was swamped in Vietnamese memorabilia, would agree with me in saying that Mr. Bahm is not just an admirable teacher, but also an inspirational individual. What truly sets Mr. Bahm apart from the other fifty plus teachers that I have had are his above and beyond teaching skills, his great sense of humor, his ability to relate to every one of his students, and his genuine ways as a person. Wake county public school system specifically approached Mr. Bahm to teach the course The Lessons of The Vietnam War. This is very impressive because the founders of the class are all honorable Vietnam veterans who decided Mr. Bahm would be the most suited to educate high school students on the significance of our countrys history. The founders of the course chose Mr. Bahm to teach the material because of his past experiences. While playing baseball in

OReilly 2 college and never thinking he would be a teacher, Mr. Bahm grew very interested in a time period he lived through but knew nothing about. Despite the intensity of the course material, Mr. Bahm was able to set a humorous atmosphere in the classroom. Being a student in his class, I never felt like I was being lectured at, instead I felt as if I were a part of a large conversation. I remember the first day in his class, when a student asked to go to the bathroom, Mr. Bahm responded by saying, I thought youd never ask; now we can talk about you while youre gone. Mr. Bahm would always remise on his memories which made us feel as if we were living in the time period of the Vietnam War. Being one of the oldest teachers I have ever had, Mr. Bahm holds countless years of teaching experience up his sleeve. He even taught a fellow classmates mother when she was in high school. Because of his great amount of experience it is safe to say that this man with thin, slicked back, gray hair, and the friendliest smile you could ever imagine has mastered his traditions of teaching. It seemed to me that Mr. Bahm had a magical way of demanding the classs attention everyday. He was able to grasp interest by dedicating different days of the week to different aspects of culture. For example, on music day we would listen to music from the time period of the Vietnam War; on poetry day, we would read poems that soldiers wrote home to their families, etc. One specific student in my class would continuously bring up sensitive subjects that always seemed to lead to a debate among the class. Instead of not letting her voice her opinions, Mr. Bahm would constantly encourage her to express herself and would appreciate the diverse thoughts she brought to the classroom. The best part about Mr. Bahms class was the numerous Vietnam veteran friends that he brought in to speak to students. He talked about them with the upmost respect and would expect

OReilly 3 for us students to do the same. The veterans he brought in as guest speakers would never sugarcoat a thing about the war and shared even their most personal experiences with us. These experiences put a series of pictures in my head to make the war more realistic instead of just a collection of textbook definitions. Mr. Bahm urged us to take notes of the veterans accounts in our journals. I am very grateful he did this because now I consider my journal not just an old notebook, but a small yet valuable piece of history. I think of myself to be lucky to have been able to experience these encounters because I know that not every person my age has had the opportunity that I had to learn on a first hand account about Americas history. Another thing that sets this southern man with a New York accent apart from any of my other teachers is his genuine care towards students. Mr. Bahm has two sons who are both autistic which calls for a lot of patience and understanding. These two character traits, essential while teaching in a high school class, are transferred from his personal life to his professional life. This could be compared to transforming being a student in his class to being a friend in a familiar home. Once a week, at least, Mr. Bahm would bring, Lauren, a classmate and huge fan of mystery novels, in books from home and discuss them with her before and after class. A personal example of Mr. Bahm exceeding the typical teacher role was the day that I received a phone call just before my Lessons of Vietnam class that my grandmother had passed away. When I wasnt present in class, Mr. Bahm asked my fellow friends and classmates where I was. Once he heard I was in the school parking lot very upset due to the heartbreaking happening, he asked a teacher during their planning period to watch over his class. Before I knew it, Mr. Bahm was in the parking lot consoling me as he accompanied me to the guidance counselors office. Though it is hard for someone in this situation to say the right thing, Mr. Bahms actions alone made me feel like I wasnt just another student, but a valued individual. Although this is not the usual response

OReilly 4 from a teacher that one would expect, the experience showed me what great character looks like in a person and encouraged me to show the same compassion to others. I appreciate Mr. Bahm tremendously. Mr. Bahm did not want to just teach his students school curriculum, but he also wanted to teach our generation to grow as independent young adults. As a history teacher, it would be very easy for Mr. Bahm to sway students views on important controversial topics by including personal opinions in his teaching. Not once did Mr. Bahm ever tried to corrupt our own thoughts with his opinions, he always made sure that we felt comfortable expressing our feelings whether it was during an interview with a veteran or during an everyday class discussion. The first day in his class, Mr. Bahm told all of the students that this course was difficult for him to teach because it was a whole semester dedicated to one war. Not that the Vietnam War is insignificant or uninteresting; but it is a challenging task to keep students attentive regarding the same material for such a long period of time. There are only so many documentaries, dates, names, battles, etc. that students can learn about before becoming unresponsive. Therefore, I can be confident in saying that it was easy to get Mr.Bahm off topic. For the reason that he was such a knowledgeable and well rounded person, Mr. Bahm would often find himself engaging the class into conversations that were not related to the Vietnam War. I have never come across a teacher like Mr. Bahm throughout my educational career. His honest care towards students is what makes him rise above the rest. He demanded it was vital that all of his students were updated and not blind to what was going on in the world around them. In fact, when I completed his class I continued on with the daily techniques that he instilled in us. For instance, I made it habitual to check the news for current events. To Mr. Bahm

OReilly 5 education is not just based upon a number in the grade book but instead education is growing intellectually and personally through life experiences of your own and of others.