My name is Renata Thakurdyal and I am a senior at Townsend Harris High School. One teacher that stands out clearly in my mind as a huge influence in my life is my seventh grade math teacher, Mr. Wolfe. Now retired, Mr. Wolfe taught at, I think, one of the roughest junior high schools in Queens, I.S. 238. He was simply inspirational. No class was as quiet or respectful as they were when he was in front of that room. I hated math. I couldn't grasp concepts and that frustrated me beyond belief. But he would persistently explain. Not in the exasperated manner that most teachers take on after the tenth explanation of a problem, but in a calm, understanding way. Getting a good grade on his tests was the most important thing to everyone, not because they were bettering themselves but because it would make him happy, because it would make him feel as if he were doing a great job. And a great job he did.
-Renata Thakurdyal
Graduate, IS 238