Mr. Roach is not your typical math teacher; he’s the teacher that trips on purpose to make you laugh when you’re having a bad day. He’s the guy who, despite what you may think, actually cares and will push you and say, “I told you so.” when you succeed. He is a funny, easy-going guy who is willing to go the extra mile to see his students succeed.
“It’s not even work,” said Roach. “I have fun doing it.”
Mr. Roach has been teaching for twenty years, this year being his fifth year teaching at Santaluces. He currently teaches Geometry, Algebra 2, and Pre Calculus to tenth grade students. Every day before and after school, he makes himself available to students who need extra assistance.
“[Math] came easy to me,” said Roach.
In his classes, Roach begins with reviewing homework and answering as many questions as time permits. While collecting the assignments, the class is ‘entertained’ with comical stories about either past teaching experiences or how he embarrasses his wife on shopping expeditions.
“I had a professor in college tell me to ‘always be yourself,’ so I am,” said Roach.
Roach’s way to be himself in class is sprinkling in jokes and stories between math problems. A common joke among all his math classes is his famous, ‘Woah, close your mouth; your breath stinks.’ line when someone sighs at him after a particularly “lame” joke.
Fellow faculty member Mr. Jayne says, “[He’s] probably one of the funniest teachers I know.”
Roach is a teacher who gets the full benefits of teaching students. A man who gives motivational speeches when his students are feeling down and who tells us the wise words of Vince Lombardi:
“I always strive for perfection knowing full well I can’t achieve it. But in the search for perfection, I crash into excellence.”
