Teenagers constantly deal with the dread of going home with piles of homework, feeling excluded or disinterested, and lacking motivation to wake up for school to yet another dull day.  

However, if students discover someone on campus who encourages them to work hard, look forward to the future, and try their best, they may realize that school is not as terrible as it seems. 

Micheal Woodward, Ag/Science Geography and IB Anthropology teacher at Tracy High School leads a positive and inspiring example for his students to look up to, by being the teacher that he never had. 

“In high school, there weren’t any people who would encourage me more. I was one of those kids who wanted to volunteer but was too scared to,” Woodward expressed.

Woodward was inspired to take on the role of a teacher by his parents, who were both college professors and he has a line of relatives who come from the educational field, with a great-great grandfather from his mother’s side of the family being a scientist, who was one of the first people to discover a meteor crater in Arizona. 

“The example they set showed how they really enjoyed their job,” Woodward proclaimed. 

Working through obstacles to giving students what they need is a major factor in being a memorable teacher that students appreciate. In life, challenges are inevitable, but what matters is how you choose to deal with them. 

“I suffer from imposter syndrome, so I think what makes me a good teacher is that I’m worried I’m not. I want to make sure I’m clear in my expectations and explanations, but I’m always scared that I’ll mess up,” Woodward reflects.  

Woodward is understanding towards the fact that not all kids feel motivated and have passion during high school because he went through a similar challenge. 

“I was smart, but I didn’t want to do the work. In college, once I learned what education meant, I realized that I could do anything I wanted. So, my GPA jumped in college because I wanted to be there and learn,” Woodward shared.