“AAAAAAAALRIGHT!” -- I hear in a deep, orotund voice at the beginning of every U.S. History class. Mr. Reichle marches into the classroom as excited and eager to teach as was I to learn. He sits at his desk, fires up his computer, and begins discussing a topic about American history as the class delightfully joins in. Not once in my eleven years of schooling have I had a teacher who was so extroverted and gregarious with his teachings and as a person.

Mr. Reichle enjoys performing in front of his class. He wanted us to learn the lyrics to our school’s fight song during homecoming week so we could sing it during the upcoming football game…so he sang it without even knowing the melody as the class sat in their desks palming their faces, groaning, and shaking their heads because they knew he was a terrible singer. I’m certain his loud, obnoxious singing was audible from five classrooms down the hall.

Often times, our class would walk to downtown Hartland to learn about local history. His interest sparked my interest in it because I’ve lived in the area my whole life, yet I knew little to nothing about it. I had no idea the Potawatomi Indians settled Hartland in the early 1800s. And it was interesting to discover that the area was populated with school houses in the 1860s because the community didn’t want children walking more than three miles to school. Using local history and primary sources were two elements of Mr. Reichle’s teaching that made me so intrigued in American history.

Even though I’m not enrolled in his classes anymore, I occasionally see him around campus. And when I’m strolling down the hall, he will notice me and nod his head as he walks past me, “Bronson.” as I greet him back. It’s not often that someone in public will acknowledge you, but when that person does, they are genuinely kind and caring people, and that is why Mr. Reichle is my favorite educator.