Mr. Kvistad, More than a Math Teacher | Teen Ink

Mr. Kvistad, More than a Math Teacher

March 29, 2023
By Anonymous

As an aspiring student, I’ve met countless teachers, each leaving their own unique impact on my life, but none quite like Mr. Kvistad. Mr. Kvistad is the perfect candidate for Educator of the Year as his teachings extend behind the walls of the classroom. Every student who walks into room 752 will leave with vast knowledge of math, life lessons, and aspirations to succeed. Mr. Kvistad knows every one of his students’ names, abilities, personal qualities, and their activities. He makes a unique connection with everyone and keeps all of us engaged during lessons ranging from three-dimensional vectors all the way to applied uses of conic sections. 


Despite arriving at school every day before 6 in the morning, Mr. Kvistad tirelessly greets us all individually with our names while we take our seats. He wholeheartedly thanks us for our punctuality each day as the final bell subsides. Before diving deep into the complex world of Precalculus, Mr. K often informs us with something interesting about his own life to make him that much more personable and relatable. His attentiveness not only contributes to his persona as a teacher, it asserts the integrity of his character. Mr. Kvistad ensures everyone fully understands the concepts before moving onto the next bit of content. He is also there to inform you on updates schoolwide and to develop a personal plan with you on how you can improve your next math test score.


Academically, Mr. Kvistad does an inordinate job teaching you what you need to know. Being well-versed in the teachings of Calculus, he highlights the essential topics of Precalculus, bringing a specific emphasis on what we should be familiar with before advancing to the next level of math. The class of Precalculus Honors is very diverse with all high school grade levels being represented. Lots of people come from different levels of math classes, some having never taken an honors math class and some repeating Precalculus. Either way, Mr. K ensures each individual is prepared for the next level of math they take, no matter the school or course. Time management, work pace, and study habits are all improved under the teachings of Mr. Kvistad. 

Mr. K examines each assessment carefully, following all of your work to figure out where you went wrong and reminds you of how to correctly approach the topic the next time. Crafting all of his tests himself, Mr. Kvistad will delegate point allotment based on varying factors. In Mr. Kvistad’s class, compounding point penalization, does not exist. The fact that Mr. Kvistad is willing to go above and beyond for his students to ensure they confidently understand the math they are learning and that their grades reflect that, attest to his character as an outstanding educator, dedicated to improving the lives of his students. Everyone attends and leaves class with a joyous smile and looks forward to the next opportunity to learn from the great Mr. Matthew Kvistad.


The author's comments:

I've had the pleasure of learning all of that Mr. Kvistad has to offer for over six months now. As someone who has always had an affinity for math despite its challenges, I was hesitant about taking an honors math class my Junior year. All of those worries had washed away as I got to learn math in a way that left me feeling confident every day in class. I quickly found success in the class as Mr. Kvistad's teachings were unique to any way I had learned before. I hope people can truly understand and appreciate the lengths Mr. Kvistad will go to for all of the students in the school, not just his own. He is also my and many others' National Honor Society Academic Advisor, holding us to high standards because he truly believes we can all succeed in our endeavors. I am fortunate to have met Mr. K and learn from him and I hope I have him again next year, learning the complexities of Calculus!


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