It’s hard to believe that distinguished English teacher Mr. Rabiola, who has instilled fear through his daunting term papers and immense reading assignments, had an unsure start to his career.

A change of heart- as well as majors and colleges- expressed Rabiola’s indecision when it came to knowing what he wanted to do with his life.

“I started off as a business major and I figured out after three semesters that accounting was not for me,” Rabiola said. “. . . I kept taking Comp and Lit classes . . . and some of my friends were taking Ed classes and they seemed to enjoy it so I took the first one . . . I was with a really good teacher and so that’s how I fell into it.”

Rabiola’s course of action now seems obvious to his peers- as he excels at the purpose of his occupation, which is to aid teenagers going through the same uncertainty he did years ago.

“[My favorite part of my job is] Helping kids reach their goals even if they don’t know what they are as I certainly didn’t know what mine were,” he said.

Despite his positive intentions to improve students’ English skills, Rabiola’s critiques do not always go over well with kids.

“I’ve certainly been told that ‘This B or B+ is going to keep me from getting a 4.0 and that it’s going to keep me from getting into X college,’” he said.

Junior Bailey Sullivan, who has taken three semesters of his classes, admits to have having a minor dissent with a grade she received on a paper. However, holding kids to a high standard is part of what makes Rabiola a commendable teacher. Like any good educator, his comments are constructive and aim to teach, not ruin, students.

“It’s hard for some students to see that it’s not the grades that matter but the learning,” he said.

Sullivan realizes, though, that his edits are helpful and fair.

“He corrects everything you do wrong but I think that it’s good preparation for probably the way college professors grade papers,” she said.

Rabiola is also praised for his organization and structure within his class.

“He is very good at explaining things and picking a certain thing and reinforcing it really well,” Sullivan said.  “. . . He makes his tests very fair, I think, and related to what we actually talked about in class.”

Rabiola’s teaching style remains a favorite among students, as he relates the material to kids as well as pushes them outside of their comfort zones with challenging assignments.

“He did kind of make me like English classes again,” Sullivan said. “Going into high

school I didn’t really like them anymore but I started to like them more since I’ve had him as a teacher for so many of them.”

Rabiola has not only made an impression on his students, but on the education community as well. His experience in the workplace has been beneficial when educators look to reform learning.

“One impact is continuity,” he said. “. . . here’s what we’ve done in the past here’s some things that have worked some things that haven’t worked.”

His consistency in teaching methods is of course only part of the overall presence. He never wavers on being the Birkenstock-clad trendsetter either (to dispel any rumors, he does take off).

“It is not a matter of style but comfort,” he said. “For years I tried to find shoes that were comfortable so my feet wouldn’t hurt just because I’m up and about so much.”

Rabiola has not only found his perfect shoes, but his perfect niche- for no one could envision such an esteemed teacher in any other profession.