By Madison Kim, Staff Writer
After countless weeks of navigating substitute teachers and many questions, after Mrs. Nichols left, Mr. Zucker came to River Hill High School’s AP Micro and Macroeconomics classroom as its new teacher. With students working to catch up on missed material and attempting to prepare for the AP exam, Mr. Zucker focused on building trust and comfortability with students.
Following countless years of teaching at River Hill, Mrs. Jessica Nichols left her classroom to focus on running for Howard County Council. Her AP Micro and Macro Economics class was left with numerous short term and long term substitutes.
Senior Marina Ronayne expressed her emotions throughout these circumstances, “I’m mostly nervous for the AP test, we lost multiple weeks of work and lessons. I hope our new teacher will fill this gap and live up to our expectations.” Many students felt troubled and in need of a leader to help go through this difficult course. After a couple weeks, the class was introduced to Mr. Zucker, an economics teacher who came all the way from Florida to step in to lead the class and take over as the economics teacher.
As Mr. Zucker leads his class in preparing for the AP exam and learning about the study of economics, students have started adjusting to a new teaching style while also working to catch up on the missed work and material during the transition. Junior Logan Edmonds expresses the change in instruction “Honestly, the way Mr. Zucker teaches isn’t too different from the way Mrs. Nichols taught us, we still learn and retain information from slideshows. However, I appreciate doing a lot more FRQ (Free Response Questions) practices that will better prepare us for the AP test.” While students continue planning for the AP exam, Mr. Zucker navigates the responsibilities of stepping into an already established classroom. His approach to teaching plays a role in students’ confidence, the way students process information and stay engaged.
While students worried about missed material and AP exams, Mr. Zucker remained calm and ready for a new class.
Mr. Zucker explained, “I think the most important thing was to avoid making assumptions. My approach was twofold: first, make sure the course meets students’ academic needs, and second, get to know my students as people. That second part is ongoing. Adjusting to a new teacher can be difficult, so I want to be understanding, supportive, and help students continue building toward their goals.” For Mr. Zucker, he emphasized helping students succeed academically while also acknowledging creating an environment where students felt understood and supported. Students continue to thrive in settings where they can be comfortable and feel safe with teachers who strive to understand them.
Junior Neel Rangaraju expressed what he appreciated about Mr. Zucker from the beginning, “What I liked immediately about our new teacher was that he asked us what we needed to succeed in his class, what we needed help with and things about ourselves, “Rangaraju said. “It made us feel like he cared about us as humans instead of just students in a classroom.” This emphasis on building relationships with his students reflects Mr. Zucker’s goals and beliefs on what a classroom needs to thrive, and he understands that it takes effort from both students and teachers.
Having come from Florida all the way to Maryland had to be a tough transition, and Mr. Zucker had to adjust to a new school environment with different rules, different norms. He also had to become familiar with his students and their needs. Yet, his goal in creating a classroom environment where students felt heard, understood and prepared remained the same.
As the school year continues and students get more comfortable with a new teacher, both the students and Mr. Zucker share the same goal. They all want each other to succeed and stay comfortable, whether that means getting a 5 on the AP exam or enjoying going to 4th period and relying on a class free of tension. Success goes far beyond academics, and having a teacher who understands that is very helpful to students. Although the transition brought a lot of uncertainty and doubt at first, the economics class keeps moving forward and works toward successes day by day.