There are two types of teachers in the world: the ones who stick to standards, and those who teach material applicable in the classroom as well as real life. I personally do not know the type of applicant you may be searching for, but I do know that Devin Kleffer falls into the category of the latter.

 

Throughout High School, as if all of the educators are a broken record, students are reminded time and time again that those four years will be the trial years for the rest of our lives. Those years will prepare us for what lies ahead. Although my younger self has rolled my eyes endlessly at the sentiments, I must say that the realization of its truth has hit me hard this last year since graduation. Adult life is chaotic and a rollercoaster, but during the trials, I am constantly using the teachings I have taken from Mr. Kleffer.

 

In an academic setting, Mr. Kleffer strives his hardest to turn each lesson into a relatable and easily graspable concept for students, while maintaining to highlight the essential notions of the lecture. By doing this, he is able to forge a bond between these “even more reluctant to learn” students and the social issues of our past. I’ll be the first to admit that my generation is difficult to teach. We are “The Millennials”- always focused on pushing the limit, being ahead of the game, and concentrating on the future- yet, Mr. Kleffer’s advanced approach and methods in the classroom capture the student’s attention. He makes learning fun and approachable, the way it should be! He is a hands on educator, and adapts the assignments to fit every type of student while also helping us develop our skills in areas we might find challenging. In his class we have made movies, created art pieces, written essays, have

had deep conversations and debates and done so many activities that I believe have strengthened our appreciation for the subject so much more than I think we would have sitting and reading a textbook and doing time filling worksheets like other instructors.

 

Like the effort he puts into our education, he also puts into making sure we as individuals feel appreciated, special and worthy. I cannot stress how important those qualities and emotions are in developing minds. He gives us what we need to make the changes in ourselves and demonstrates his lessons at the same time. There are many times where I felt like I was drowning in the pressure of school, the issues at home, or chaos and questions of morality and ethics and for most of the time I felt like I had nobody to go to, but Mr. Kleffer was always there to listen. He was there for every one of his students. After spending a year as his student and a year as his TA, I consider Mr. Kleffer a teacher, a mentor and a friend. Mr. Kleffer is a good person, a good teacher, and would be a genuinely great addition to any institution.