“Attention ooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn deck!” It was the first day of school, and I have heard so much about Mr. Okneski, the history teacher. “Alright here’s what’s up, thing number one: I’m going to take roll. Thing number two: I will hand back anything that is needed to be handed back”. As the weeks went by, this is how he started everyday. It was like he has his own little ritual. Mr. Okneski teaches the one subject that is not one of my favorites, history. Usually for me it’s the most boring class out of all eight because I always just saw it as a bunch of dead guys arguing about nothing. But after a while I learned more than ever about history, and had fun at the same time. He IS the funniest teacher I’ve ever had. His humor consisted of making fun of republicans, the south, Snookie, Italians, gun laws, and the list goes on….and on. What made “Mr. O” hilarious was that he wasn’t just a teacher; he was like a teenager in the way that he could relate to all of us.

In his class, we did not just learn about history, we learned about life. He told us things that he has learned from experience like the funny stories about him and some memories he’s had. When he taught us about history, he knew exactly what he was talking about like he lived during that time. When he was teaching us, he made it feel like we were actually there. I have never learned more about history than I did from him. He has taught me many lessons as well, such as, “During Christmas, try to receive as much as possible”, and who could ever forget his “cheating speech” before every test. But what he always kept in mind to us is never to judge people by their race, religion, or anything else.

What makes a good teacher is the ability to be able to talk to them when you need help in your life. With Mr. O you could always come to him with your problems, and he will try his best to take what he has learned and help you apply it in your situation. He is also one of the fairest teachers, because if you do not understand something, he will explain it until you get the idea. It’s because of him that history is now one of my best subjects.

Mr. O has taught me a lot this past year. I don’t see him as just a history teacher, I see him as someone who really does care about the students. Some teachers just give work and don’t care about how you are doing in the class. With Mr. O he really does want you to do well, and will try his best and make an extra effort to make sure you are doing well not only in his class, but ALL classes. That’s what has really affected me was how caring he can be to one student. For example when I had no one to turn to, he was there to talk to me when I needed help.


This past year has gone so fast, and I can’t believe next year I am going to be a sophomore and will no longer have Mr. O. I don’t really see Mr. O as a teacher, as much as he wouldn’t want to hear this; he is like a grandfather figure to me. This past year I have learned so much from him, and have enjoyed his class more than anything. He is the best teacher I have ever had in all the years I have been going to school. I can’t describe my experiences with Mr. O in five paragraphs; I don’t even think I can explain them in a book! Next year I’m going to look back on his classes as a privilege to learn from someone who truly knows everything. “BAM! After all I am a walking dictionary”- Mr. Okneski