Joe Macki

Never in my 17 years of life have I seen a teacher as passionate and motivated to teach his students. Before entering high school, I was a bit worried about how well I'd do in my science classes. Luckily for me, I had the best teacher to remove these worries. Instead of making us just read boring textbooks and fill out worksheets, Mr. Macki has us do labs which are as hands on as a lab can be! He allows us to ask as many questions as we want as we're looking through microscopes, combining different compounds, or filling out our data sheets. There has never been a moment where I was bored in Mr. Macki's classroom. As a student, it's pretty easy to tell whether or not a teacher wants to be there and actually teach their subject. The moment I stepped in Mr. Macki's classroom, I could tell what type of teacher he was going to be when I saw a poster in the middle of the classroom saying, "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand," and he certainly exceeded my expectations. I've had Mr. Macki as a teacher for 3 years now, and never has there been a dull moment. Mr. Macki made Physical Science and Biology such fun subjects to learn about! He's helped me so much so that he's been an inspiration for me pursuing a career in Biomedical Engineering. Now, besides the academic stuff, there are many other things that make Mr. Macki an amazing teacher and person. I speak for a lot of my peers when I say that Mr. Macki is more than just a teacher to us - he's a beloved friend. It's never hard to crack a joke at Mr. Macki and have him crack one back. You can expect to hear a lot of laughter in the classroom from both Mr. Macki and the students. It's hard to explain, but it's like Mr. Macki truly cares about forming a bond with his students. It's almost like it isn't just the job that matters to Mr. Macki, but the fact that he's helping us learn more about the world and making us happy. One personal example that I can include is whenever lunch time comes around (now please note that due to Covid this can't be done anymore, but it was done last year), I go to Mr. Macki's room and hang out with him and some of my friends. Now, I admit that I'm a strange student. I like to study, but I also like to mess around in the class so long as it isn't disruptive. I mention this because I love asking Mr. Macki just random questions that would annoy any other teacher, but it doesn't bother Mr. Macki. Mr. Macki always has a funny response to my questions, and that always improves not just my day but the day of everyone. Though Covid has prevented us from doing that, I hope we can return to those times next year! No student ever feels left out when Mr. Macki's around! He gets to know all of his students and understands them and knows how to make learning fun for them. To be honest, I could spend a lot of time talking about what makes Mr. Macki such an amazing teacher, but I don't think I could do him much justice. Simply put, Mr. Macki is a person you need to meet just to understand the extent of his kindness. I consider him a friend and a confidant, so much so, that I hope we stay in contact after I graduate. There really is no one more worthy of this nomination than Mr. Macki. As a student, it's hard to understand all of the hard work teachers must endure to make the classroom a fun environment to be in whilst helping us understand difficult concepts. And you can see the hard work Mr. Macki puts into his teaching. At the end of the day, Mr. Macki is a teacher, but for many students at Monticello High, he isn't just a teacher - he's our friend and we love him. Thank you Mr. Macki for all you've done!

Emily Al-Mohamed