For many, a new school year brings an opportunity for new goals. This is the case for Hendrick Booz, who wants to be more patient with his IB English Literature HL 2 and Theory of Knowledge students this school year.
Booz said his wife, Kelly, and mother both suggested this goal.
“I don’t think it’s going well for me,” Booz said. “I sometimes forget that while you guys are seniors, you are still just teenagers.”
Booz said he drew inspiration from a discussion-based college program called American Studies. It allowed students to present their own opinions and forced them to engage regularly in class.
“I think a lot of my style [as a teacher] is born out of the style of the teachers that came before me,” he said.
Hendrick Booz said he encourages students to think critically by centering student voices in the class.
“I like to structure my classes so that they are student-driven,” Booz said. “I like to make classes interactive, fast-paced and challenging.”
Booz said he has a clear narrative of the type of teacher he wants to be to his students in order to help them be successful inside and outside the classroom.
“I was fortunate to see bad teachers and know what I didn’t want to do, and see good teachers to emulate and copy them,” he said.