A new student teacher who once resided in Oahu, Hawaii now occupies room 147. Who is he you ask? He is Ben Washofsky, who is teaching Modern World and American Democracy for the second semester of this school year. Washofsky loves working with kids, and knew this even as a school student where he enjoyed helping his peers out, This is how he became interested in teaching, so he can teach and watch them learn. What he loves most about teaching is seeing a student understand what is being taught. If a kid does not understand what he is teaching in the beginning of the class, he likes to see them understand it by the end of class.

Washofsky’s passion is teaching whether he is in or out of school. During the weekends when he is not working at Lincoln he works with other youth groups. One group teaches about what it means to be a hero, and another one about spirituality. On his spare time when he is not teaching these classes, he grades work and plans lessons for the following day. That takes up pretty much all his free time.

Washofsky hopes to continue teaching after this year and wants to receive a real teaching job at a high school in the city or somewhere nearby. He also wishes to stay at Abraham Lincoln High School as a permanent teacher. “I really love it at Lincoln; it’s a lot of fun. It’s a good environment. It’s really happy and upbeat most of the time. It’s welcoming and happy most of the time,” Washofsky said.