I’ve seen what you’ve made, you have the skills for this,” Mr. Rumohr reassured me as we discussed an upcoming piece for my AP Studio Art portfolio. I wasn’t expecting to hear anything like that first thing in the morning but it made me grin. I can't remember the last time a teacher said something like that to me – if one ever has.

In my time at Arrowhead High School, I have had Mr. Rumohr as a teacher every year. My freshman year I wore my dad’s jean jacket with patches from all of his favorite bands; this sparked a conversation that I will always cherish. I had never really connected with a teacher and here I was sitting in my introductory art class talking to Mr. Rumohr about Metallica and AC/DC. Mr. Rumohr didn’t know that my dad had passed away three years before, I doubt he knew that conversation would help me as much as it did. He made me feel like someone he wanted to get to know, not just another student he had to teach.

In my sophomore year, I worked with metal and plaster molds for the first time. I loved it and we talked about how this was a good way to start a business. That’s when I realized, Mr. Rumohr isn’t only a teacher and a father, he’s also a small business owner. He had talked about his work outside of teaching before but it never really hit me until then. 

Mr. Rumohr pushes all his students to work with new mediums, develop new ideas, and create something new. He always has, that's one of the things that helps us grow so much. He also has all of us talk through our ideas – which may sound small but it’s the most important thing he’s taught me – and helps us see the areas of our piece that need work and get ideas from others.

Once I was talking to my cousin, she had gone to Kettle Moraine High School, and (as usual) I was talking about my art. I mentioned a conversation I had with Mr. Rumohr and she immediately recognized his name.

“Wait, Mr. Rumohr? As in Brock Rumohr?” she had asked.

“...yeah? He’s my art teacher, how do you know him?” I asked; I was so confused.

“He was my art teacher in high school, he’s amazing!” We proceeded to talk about his classes and how much they helped us as artists for almost an hour. It was kinda funny to me how he managed to be both of our teachers when we were so far apart in age and went to different high schools. 

Mr. Rumohr is the type of person who makes each of his students feel important and like their work matters because to him that’s just a fact. He is the most supportive, dedicated, caring teacher I’ve ever had and I will always be grateful for how he has helped me grow.