Mr. Van is known around Grandview for his teaching style. He has a unique way of teaching, keeping students engaged and making sure students enjoy his classes (AP Psychology, World History, and World Religions).

“I try to make class interesting and be personable. If that’s unique, then I suppose so—I just try to make class engaging. It’s pretty laid back. I’m not too worked up about rules—I just want people to feel like they’re learning,” Mr. Van said.

Mr. Van modeled his teaching style off of his professors in college that he really enjoyed or stood out on the way they teached.

“I had professors in college who were storytellers… I modeled my teaching after the teachers I really enjoyed. I try to do a lot of dialogue and conversation. It’s more discussion than a straight lecture,” Mr.Van said.

Students are different from one another in the sense they each have different needs and learning styles – so, Mr. Van tries his best to give each student what they need to succeed in his class.

“You can’t give everyone what they want, so I try to mix things up and talk to students to figure out what the group needs. There’s usually more than one way to show you learned something,” Mr. Van said.

Mr. Van isn’t just a teacher that does his job because he has to, but because he is passionate about what he does and wants to make his students feel the same about the topics he teaches.

“If a student finishes the year more excited about the subject…I feel like I’ve done my job. I hope they remember that I’m passionate about my subject and that it helped spark interest in them,” Mr. Van said. 

And each semester when the final bell rings he is reminded just how big of an impact his teaching can have on his students.

“Every semester there’s always a student—usually a quiet one—who tells me the class was one of their favorites,” Mr. Van said.