Our Teacher of The Year: Mr. Calfee
NIlofar Tokhi
Mr. Calfee doing what he does best, teaching students.
May 2, 2014
Not every teacher is cut from the same cloth; some force their students to listen, others listen to their students. Each year, one Wakefield teacher is selected as “Teacher of the Year”. This is a very honorable award that allows the teacher to become a beacon to all others. This year’s beacon is the brilliant science teacher, Mr. Jay Calfee.
The word “award” makes most think about something physical, Mr. Calfee says “I don’t really need a plaque or a trophy; it’s just going to collect dust in my house.” This represents the kind of person that Mr. Calfee is – selfless, no frills and down to earth.
One of the most memorable experiences for freshman in biology class is the rat dissection. Many students aren’t fans of cutting rats open and staring at their innards (neither am I), but the simultaneous gagging when the first incision is made, is priceless. One of the great and more surprising things you learn from the dissection is how similar a rat’s anatomy is to a humans. It really opens your eyes to other living things and our similarities.
Speaking of rodents, Mr. Calfee recalls one of the most hilarious moments in one of his previous classes. He says: “In the old building, a mouse ran across the floor; of course the girls were panicking and screaming, but the best part was seeing all these big football players up on the desks screaming like little girls [laughs]. Once you teach for so long, enough crazy things happen…you get used to it”
Clearly, Mr. Calfee makes a great impact on the student body, and he is one of the most loved teachers at Wakefield. Humbled by his award, he says: It’s very nice to be acknowledged by colleagues…it came as a pleasant surprise…it’s very flattering.”
Which teacher has made an impact on you? Leave a comment below.
"Journalism can never be silent. That is it's greatest virtue and it's greatest fault." -Henry Antole Grunwald
Ms. Dunn
Ms. Wathen because she cares about what she does, and is fun in the process.
The teacher that has made the biggest impact on me has to be Mr. Burns, his style of teaching makes me look forward to going to his class every other day!
I LIKE MRS. MOHLER
Mr.Lutz has had a huge impact on my writing and future goals in general! Although his class may be a lot of work, it shapes you as a person and teaches you the tenacity necessary in college.
Everyone that has been my teacher now and in the past.
mr. burns has made a very big impact on me this year. He inspires me to be a better writer and allows me to analyze literature in depth through ways i usually would not
A teacher who has impacted me the most is Burns 🙂
Hmmmm, Mrs. Wathen!
D. Burns has impacted me for the past two year.
Dr. Megargee :)))
Ms. Jewel is kewel!
Mr. Vessali is a great teacher as well as human! He has the ability to always makes us laugh so I’m always looking forward to his class.
All my teachers this year have really influenced me, Ms. Fraley and Dr. Megargee especially (this year). Their patience and dedication is remarkable!
Ms. Wathen is the best! She makes English way better than it actually is. She also gives me inspiration to write for Journalism and I love it
I think that my favorite teacher of the year should go to Ms. Wathen! She’s a great teacher, always helping students and creating teacher & student bonds.
I agree Mr. Calfee is an awesome teacher, and I absolutely loved having him as my freshman year biology teacher. I’m glad he’s being acknowledged for his hard work all these years. You rock Calfee! Keep up the good work 🙂