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By Aiesha Patel
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For my teacher spotlight I sat down with Powell High School teacher Mr. Clark. He teaches Algebra 1 and he is also coach of the Track & Field team. He said, “I love that Algebra requires you to think logically and follow a specific order of steps. I believe this type of thinking is very useful in solving everyday challenges.” He has been teaching for a total of 19 years so far, 4 at Powell High School and 15 years at Powell Middle School. He chose to be a teacher because during his sophomore year of college he went to Camp Ba-Yo-Ca to become a counselor. He said, “ I loved working with teenagers.” I asked one question that I would like to ask all teachers, “How do you help your students?” He said, “I try really hard to get to know my students and understand what challenges they face. I think that when people feel understood that they feel respected and cared about...which makes teaching and learning a whole lot easier.” I like this answer because I agree with what he is saying and think that this is a good way to get to know, understand, and help students.
When asked how his friends would describe him he said, “My best friends are always there when I need them. I can call on them any time. They have short-term memories of things that I have done that hurt their feelings. They are always excited to see me and I see them every day.” He sees his friends every day?! He continued, “One is a 75 German Shepherd named Maverick. The other is an overweight Chihuahua-Dachshund named Tucker.”
Some fun and interesting information about Mr. Clark? He’s driven to California and back 9 times and visited most of the national parks here in the United States. He attends church at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church. He is active in the Knoxville Youth Athletics summer development track program each summer and he helps coach Rec League basketball. He also volunteers with a homeless ministry every Wednesday evening. His favorite hobbies and activities are traveling and driving across the country. I also asked him some bonus questions: “Who is your hero or inspiration?” He said, “I have three that always come to mind: Hall of Fame football coach Chuck Noll, Former UT Standout Inky Johnson, and Michael Tait (aka Toby Mac).” The words he and his friends use to describe him are: friendly, energetic, confident, intelligent, kind, witty, charismatic, and bald. He was chosen Knox County Schools 2020 Teacher of the Year. The Link for a Teacher of the Year video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atRVJHot34Y
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