Sixth grade was an enormous adjustment for me because I was switching schools. It was intimidating knowing I was going to be the new girl in a class of only 24 people. In no way will I forget my first day walking into Divine Redeemer not knowing one person, being lost with no clue where I was going. A jolly looking man with a welcoming smile on his face saw me looking scared and confused and came up to me. He greeted me and said, “Hello, I’m Mr. Oldenburg the principal at Divine Redeemer and you must be Abby. We are happy to have you. Let me show you to your new classroom.”

After I was greeted by Mr.O, I felt relieved to have the principal of the school show me where I was supposed to go. Then it hit me: I was seconds away from walking into my new classroom full of strangers. I was walking in late and with the principal. I knew the attention would be on me. I was terrified. Mr. O must have sensed I was nervous Mr. O placed his hand on my shoulder as we walked down the hall and said, “Abby, you have nothing to worry about.” “You’re lucky you have one of the best teachers in this school Mr. Baganz.”

Mr. O was right: Mr. Baganz, my sixth grade teacher, is still to this day one of the best teachers I have ever had. Sixth grade year gave me the foundation I needed to have a beneficial experience at Divine Redeemer and have a better outlook on school. When I started in Mr. B’s sixth grade class, I was quiet and shy, by the end of the year, I had a wonderful friend base and was excited to wake up and go to school everyday.

Mr. B had a way of making learning fun! He regularly told interesting, hilarious stories to us. He would plan fun things activities for example barbeques during lunch, and I will never forget in literature class we were reading a story about Chinese culture and he had the idea to order Chinese food for us. I have some of the best memories from the unforgettable field trips we went on. From Spending the day in Chicago to going to the zoo, these things brought our class together in a family like way.

Mr. B never failed to turn the most boring classes into interesting ones. Mr. B put together fun projects. In religion, we had to plan out a skit to present in chapel and in social studies we had to plan a European vacation on a budget. These projects helped introduce me to working with others and prepared me for the rest of my middle school career.

Everyone could tell that teaching was a passion for Mr. B. And I learned he loved seeing his students succeed. Math was always a struggle for me and sixth grade was no exception it was one of the hardest years in math for me. Quickly into the year I fell behind Mr. B took time to get me the extra help I needed to understand the lessons and to do well on my tests. He stayed after school and went through tests and quizzes with me and made sure I was set up with tutors to help me pass the math class. If it wasn't for Mr.B helping me figure out my math struggles and getting me caught up, I don't think I would be as successful as I am today in my current math classes.
Mr. B made my first year at Divine Redeemer unforgettable. To this day, sixth grade has been my favorite year. I started out as a scared, shy and intimidated new sixth grader and left  more confident and ready to take on the remaining two years of middle school. Mr. B will forever be a teacher that sticks out to me. He wasn't just a teacher, he was a friend to all of us.