LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Fritz Rauch was nominated by an anonymous student.

"Throughout my education career, anxiety has been a constant drawback when entering the doors on day one. My freshman year at Arrowhead High School started as one of the hardest for me to wrap my head around, but I got through it. As sophomore year came around, it was a repeat starting all over again," said the student.

"'I can do this; I've done it before,' I told myself as I approached the door. Mr. Rauch, my ninth-grade English teacher, stood outside his classroom door waiting for every one of his third-hour students to enter," said the student.

"I walked in straight-faced, knowing English is not my strong suit. I sat down in my assigned seat and lost focus quickly almost every day. Weeks go on, and days become easier. I walk into third hour knowing that it will probably be similar to every other day, talking, analyzing, and reading…all beneficial to understanding a book. As I sat down, I felt today would be different," said the student.

"Mr. Rauch has his desks set up in rows facing the front of the room; this made it easier for students to focus and learn in a beneficial environment. On certain days he would cram half of the desks to one side of the room and the other half to the other side so they would face each other. This made the learning process of Romeo and Juliet very coherent as it allowed each student to feel like they were talking directly to the others rather than to a SMARTboard," said the student.\

"Mr. Rauch had a way of teaching his classes differently from any other I sat through. Every day my first and second hour was a block class. As the third approached, it made my day feel more reprehensible and manageable because Mr. Rauch woke me up with the simple loudness of his voice. Although to most, that may seem like a negative thing, to me, Mr. Rauch was engaging his students in a way that could benefit them for the rest of their day," said the student.

"Mr. Rauch was able to engage his students with the tone of his voice, which helped students wake up in the morning and be more able to absorb the lessons that are taught to each student after they leave his classroom," said the student.

"From teaching me English, to coaching me on the diamond, to smiling and waving in the hallways, I will never be ashamed to say that I was fortunate to spend my days under the teaching of Mr. Rauch," said the student. "Thank you, Mr. Rauch, for giving your all into the subject of English...Without you, I would not have been able to function throughout my day without the even sometimes subtle, aggressive tone that taught me the ninth-grade English curriculum."