To increase class interest, many teachers add a creative flair to the curriculum. While some invent new class games and competitions, others capture the students’ attention through a unique phrase.

“When I teach, I like to think about how I would feel if I was in the class,” Eunie McEntee, girls’ P.E. teacher, said. “Its hard with P.E. because so many students come in with a ‘make me like this’ attitude.”

McEntee presents daily awards for good attitude and skill. The previous unit, folk dancing, included a dance competition called “Prancing with the Stars,” in which students paired up to compete against the rest of the class.

“It was just a fun and unique way to have P.E.,” McEntee said. “I think fun days, ‘like Prancing With the Stars’, make P.E. a more enjoyable class.”

Beatriz Foth, Spanish teacher, uses similar techniques for her classroom. Foth incorporates games and puzzles to help teach the Spanish language. The class also has a culture themed fiesta at the end of each unit.

“I think the students learn a lot when they play the games,” Foth said. “They have fun and it seems less like class work.”

Foth is known for her famous quote, “ojo.” This phrase is translated as both “eye” and “be careful,” the latter being used most often.

“Senora came up with ‘ojo’ in Spanish I during my freshman year,” Andrew Biehler, ’08, said. “She said it one day when the class was being too noisy and it just stuck. Now it’s become a Spanish III tradition.”

While some teachers use games or fun days to make class time more interesting, Scott Falk is known for his stories and sense of humor. It seems his catch phrase, “giddy-up,” never fails to make his class smile.

American history teacher, Jon Hall, used a special technique to motivate his baseball team to victory. He promised the team he would shave his head if they won a certain number of games.

“The deal gave us a good incentive to win,” Josh Palmer, ’08, said. “We ended up only winning 2 of the 3 games we had to win, but he ended up shaving his head anyway.”

Often various quirks of teachers inspire students to put more effort into class time. Due to teachers’ contributions, memories are created that seem to stay with students for years to come.

“As a senior, I have been in classes with most of the teachers on campus,” Megan Witters, ’07, said. “My favorite is the dancing unit in P.E. It?s a lot of fun to compete in and it?s a nice change from playing team sports.”

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