The Growth of Eitan

I was Eitan's 10th grade U.S. History teacher as well as his 12th grade Modern World History teacher. One of the best parts of having Eitan over multiple years was witnessing his growth as a student and as a person. Eitan struck me as an earnest and diligent student as a tenth grader. He was intentional about making sure that his grades stayed high and wanted to make sure that if he didn't perform as well as he wanted on a paper that he could fix it until it was the best. I remember having a lot of conversations about papers!

As a senior in my class, a class with many of his friends, including two close ones - Luke and Max, Eitan came alive in a way that I hadn't seen two years prior. While he still cared about his work, he was on his way to college soon, feeling confident and happy, and seemed to be loving life. Most strikingly, this earnest kid seemed to have come of out his shell as a witty, sharp, and down right hilarious guy who never backed down from a debate or an opportunity to engage his peers. He was chipper every single day. He greeted me each morning with enthusiasm and, in his sneaky, but always respectful way, he always seemed to find a way to sit next to Max, despite my effort to make him stick with the seating arrangement.

Eitan was such a fun loving guy. He was great to have in class; he cared about school but by his senior year also recognized the value in relaxing a bit. Most of all, he cared deeply for his friends, and they for him.