Teachers don't get enough credit. Seriously they don't. Especially not the teachers who work at CPS. If there's one thing I can say that I loved about high school, it was my teachers. I don't think I had a bad teacher at Westinghouse College Preparatory School located in Chicago, Illinois. Each teacher was dedicated to the future of their students. However, amongst this crowd of amazing teachers, two stood out to me the most. And I think that they deserve to be recognized. Those teachers are Mrs. Grasso-Parsill, and Mrs. Becker. This article is dedicated to you two!
Let me start off by talking about Mrs. Grasso. Mrs. Grasso was my AP United States History teacher. And what a teacher she was. Mrs. Grasso has more passion for history than anyone I've met. Every lesson that she gave was one that she enjoyed. Except the war of 1812. If I remember correctly, that one wasn't one of her favorites. But she still taught it with the excitement and charisma that defined her. I personally love history and that love was only fueled by Mrs. Grasso's teaching. I honestly believe that even if you went in her class hating history, you would come out with a much deeper respect for the subject. She didn't just teach us endless facts or bore us with lectures. She made sure to link each and every event with each other and explain their significance. She made sure to make the connections that some of us simply wouldn't think of. From wars to the immortal Henry Clay, Mrs. Grasso made sure that everyone in her class had a good grasp on each concept. (Seriously Henry Clay simply didn’t die for the majority of our lessons). When it came time to take the AP Exam, I felt extremely prepared and ended up scoring a 4 on it. Mrs. Grasso is also the type of teacher that made you feel comfortable around her. She was kind, caring, and interested in every single student. Her love for history was only matched by her love for her dog. So Mrs. Grasso, thank you. Thank you for making me love history even more. Thank you for being the embodiment of what a history teacher should be. I was always excited to come to your class and always felt smarter when I left. There was never a boring day in your class. Unfortunately you moved out of Chicago to a much nicer place. Westinghouse will never find an APUSH teacher quite like you!
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Now for Mrs. Becker. Where do I even begin with her? Mrs. Becker is such an energetic person. She has a HUGE personality bottled up into her small stature. Mrs. Becker was my AP Government teacher and I think it’s safe to say that she is the best AP Gov teacher in the history of AP Gov teachers. I would not have my interest in politics had it not been for this woman. Mrs. Becker made sure that our class was never afraid to discuss the harder topics. She made sure that we knew the importance of politics and voting. Don’t believe me? Mrs. Becker would send her students on a field trip to the polls in order to vote. I am genuinely convinced that she inspired every student that took her class and continues to do so today. IT was because of Mrs. Becker that I found myself at Kent College of Law in Chicago in order to discuss a Supreme Court case (Glossip V. Gross). Myself and a few other students found ourselves talking to multiple intelligent students from different parts of Illinois about this case. We were able to talk to the law school students and lawyers. It was truly an amazing experience that I was proud to be a part of. It was also because of Mrs. Becker that I attended a Mayoral debate when Chicago was in the middle of electing a new mayor. That was also an amazing experience. She even required us to campaign for a candidate of our choice and accumulate a certain number of hours before the end of the semester. From her love of Jimmy Carter, to her loving attitude towards all of her students, Mrs. Becker made everyone feel welcome and loved in her class. When I go back and visit I am always sure Mrs. Becker will greet me with one of her world famous smiles. So Mrs. Becker, thank you. Thank you for inspiring your class to vote and be politically active. Thank you for being so kind and caring to every student you have. You are truly an inspiration and I appreciate you.
These two teachers truly deserve the ultimate praise. You will be hard pressed to deny that they both have a passion for teaching that is hard to match. So to those of you who have had the pleasure of sitting in a classroom with one of them, I encourage you to share this article. Let them know how important they are to each and every one of you! Thank you again Ms. Grasso and Mrs. Becker. Never stop being you!
