LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Steven Schmid was nominated by a student.

"High-level math became a chore, another thing to do, something that I regarded with the same joy one might feel as they empty a dishwasher. Taking notes in class was the orderly arrangement of cups, and homework was sorting through forks and knives. Taking the test was completing the task and closing the door on what I learned–I might use it later, but probably not," said the nominator.

"With this mindset, I started first-period Calculus and Applications in my junior year at Arrowhead High School. I expected a fast pace and harder content, but I couldn't have been more wrong. The teacher of the class, Mr. Schmid, approached math differently from almost all of the teachers that I had in the past. On the first day of class, he said, 'I want you to focus on learning, not your grades.' I was skeptical because as long as my grade in a class was above 90%, I thought my work was done–even if I hadn't learned something permanently," said the student.

"Mr. Schmid may not have realized it, but he changed my jaded view on math. He slowed things down in class, going through examples when he was met with silence and blank stares. Instead of a theorem copied from a slide, I got drawings, graphs, and example problems that united to form a puzzle of deeper understanding," said the student.

"Furthermore, Mr. Schmid changed how I looked at getting extra help. In the past, I would spend hours on problems I could barely do because getting help felt like a weakness. I would only swallow my pride to email a teacher for help when I was too frustrated to go on. When I got help, I would burn with shame as I failed to comprehend even the most basic steps," said the student.

"Mr. Schmid stated that it was normal and expected to ask for help. Before some of the first homework assignments, he told the class, 'I want you guys to spend at most 10 minutes on a homework problem. If you are struggling, ask me the next day to review it.' When I encountered a homework problem that I had already spent 10 minutes on to no avail, I did something I had never done before. I put down my pencil and asked for help the next day," said the student.

"The next day, I strolled into the room before class and asked, 'Could you explain a problem from the homework, Mr. Schmid,'" said the student.

"'Of course,' he said, copying the equation from the textbook onto the whiteboard. 'What have you done so far?'

'Nothing. I spent 10 minutes on it and decided to move on.' Mr. Schmid nodded and drew a diagram, marking each variable on the drawing," said the student.

"'Now that we have a drawing, you can see that the problem is asking for you to find the volume of this,'" said Mr. Schmid. He pointed to the diagram. I suddenly understood what was happening and solved the rest in my notebook."

"In my senior year, I had a 20-minute study hall where Mr. Schmid let me stay in his classroom. I sometimes asked for help, but I mostly talked to my teacher. From one such conversation, I learned that Mr. Schmid was once an avid biker and that if I wanted good mountain bike trails, I should go down to Southern Wisconsin. Other days, I talked about my interest in attending UW-Madison, and Mr. Schmid gave me advice based on his experience there. On top of being the best math teacher I have ever had, Mr. Schmid is a super likable person," said the student.

"As I go to college to study engineering, I will forever remember the positive impact that Mr. Schmid had on my learning," said the student.