Recognizing English Teacher Mr. Brobeck

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week, and many students rightfully showed support and gave thanks to the many teachers we have at LBHS. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they have been working extremely hard to try and help students adjust to their new reality and keep them learning through this time. One teacher who especially deserves recognition is Mr. Brobeck, the English 11 and AP English Language teacher. 

Through the chaos, Mr. Brobeck has done his best to keep students active in their learning. Students have three writing assignments each week that help train their critical thinking. Mr. Brobeck also devotes a lot of time to ensure that the books he chooses for students are enjoyable and relatable to the pandemic. 

“I’m not looking to overwhelm my students with huge, blowout assignments — but I am looking to stay relevant, hold students accountable for learning, and hopefully develop their reading and writing skills during this strange, strange time,” said Brobeck. 

Back in August, we could not have imagined that the whole world would be shut down because of a virus. We were still wound up about the new bell schedule, and teachers especially had to change their plans from how they had always done things. 

Teachers like Mr. Brobeck have been struggling with enormous changes all year, but they have all gotten through it. Mr. Brobeck believes that during this chaos, it is good to have a balanced life, be organized, and have a good attitude to find victory in even the small things each day. Students agree that Mr. Brobeck is a great teacher and is doing his best in the chaos. 

“Mr. Brobeck has done a good job at keeping his class active. He sends us assignments several times a week that aren’t hard to do and can be done fast, while it still relates to what we are reading,” said junior Kim Sanchez. “If a student needs help he is on Zoom about everyday in the morning and if he isn’t on, he can be reached by email.”

But it is still sad that teachers don’t get to do what they love: seeing kids every day and getting the chance to show them something new. Mr. Brobeck misses being able to stand up in front of a classroom and interact with students. His students no doubt miss going to his class too, but we all thank him for doing his best during this crazy time.

“I like to be animated and engaging. I like to talk about interesting ideas and stir the pot a bit with those ideas from a great novel. It’s tough to do this remotely!” said Brobeck. “I’ve had a few moments on Zoom where it felt like I was being live Mr. Brobeck again — but then I clicked ‘End Meeting’ and silently went back to my email inbox.”