For thousands of years, children have received education through schools. As millennia passed, one common theme within education became clear: great teachers are of the utmost importance. From the likes of Socrates and Aristotle, great teachers produce both unique ideas and intelligent thinkers. It should go without saying that every student, regardless of socioeconomic status, deserves a great teacher. It just so happens that one of these great teachers teaches right here at J.P. McCaskey High School: English Language and AP Seminar teacher Eliot White, 

Despite his uniquely benevolent quietness, Mr. White  makes his presence known through his distinctive personality and engaging lectures. Mr. White describes himself as “passionate about reading and writing and, you know, what language can do and what storytelling can do in the world. And I think that’s what motivates me day to day here at McCaskey. I’m also a writer myself, a poet. I have run a reading series here in the city since 2016. So I try to practice what I preach.” Put simply, Mr. White is passionate about what he does, which seamlessly translates into his teaching.

When teaching, it is imperative to find a perfect equilibrium between challenge, support, and engagement. When teachers find this equilibrium, their students become both intelligent and accustomed to challenges. Such traits ready students for the challenges of college. When asked about how he challenges his students, Mr. White stated that “I like to ask students to make those philosophical connections to their own life… I find a good universal way to make connections is that I ask kids to reflect on the fact that we all suffer um every one of us in life who’s living a human life a human story is going to suffer and that binds us all together and we can explore the nature of suffering in a meaningful way and so so challenging students to think on that philosophical level more deeply than maybe they they have before making connections to the literature that we’re reading.” This translates to both of the courses he teaches: 10th-grade English Language and Literature, a course aimed at teaching 10th graders English, and AP Seminar, a course administered by the Advanced Placement program that teaches students to analyze and synthesize ideas.

Mr. White is also the sponsor of McCaskey’s Debate Club. The McCaskey Debate Club really connects to Mr. White’s goal of getting students to think about concepts on a deeper level, as creating a compelling argument takes both deep thought and consideration of other sides. In the past, he has also sponsored a book club—a club where students read  and discuss books

Outside of McCaskey, Mr. White has proved himself to be quite accomplished in the field of English. For one, he has a published book titled “The Perpetual Motion Machine,” which is a collection of poems about the concept of infinity and perpetual motion machines. Mr. White is proud of getting this book published and shared that “to have a book published, publish my collection of poems in 2023, that’s a proud moment.” Some of his other proud accomplishments involve getting his master’s degree and presenting at the Free University of Berlin. 

Shifting to the fun side, Mr. White is a connoisseur of coffee and even has his own coffee machine inside his classroom! Mr. White would make note of this, saying that “I drink a lot of coffee throughout the day here at McCaskey. Big coffee drinker.” However, you cannot forget Mr. White’s adoration for tater tots when talking about him. Mr. White loves tater tots to the point that he said if he “would ever have a food truck, it would be like a gourmet tater tot truck. And I would just have amazing toppings for tater tots because any kind of French fry or fried potato is delicious, but only sparingly.”

Mr. White makes a palpably profound effort to care for his students. He wishes for nothing less than the absolute best for his students. This sentiment was among his most profound emphases during his interview, as he stated that “I really care about them as human beings, not just as students. And I think that beyond the content that I teach, it’s so rewarding to see students grow and develop as human beings. and figure out their their passions and their interests and like just being able to encourage young people like I really do care about my students so much and every every year this time of year I start getting sad because you know summer’s coming and this whole year will come to an end and there’s always a bit of a grieving process but it’s really just a joy and a privilege to teach young people.” One way Mr. White supports his students is through individualized support and feedback, which makes his classes feel personalized and tailored to the success of students.

Mr. White’s genuine care and concern for his students would not go unnoticed. Many of his students also have a fondness for him and provided lavish descriptions of Mr. White and his classes. McCaskey student Arlene Matos started by arguing that “Mr. White is a pretty good teacher, he explains things well, and very rarely are his explanations confusing. He does jump on tables a lot.”

Shaylee Hess, another one of Mr. White’s students, would give an uplifting description of Mr. White. They argued that “Mr. White is the kind of teacher every student should have the chance to experience. He has his moments, but overall, he’s a great teacher and will always give a helping hand in the walk to success. He’s always there academically but also cares about his students outside of the classroom, which makes him a great teacher to have.” Victoria Berlingeri’s statement closely corroborates Shaylee’s. Victoria described Mr. White as “a pretty amazing teacher. He pushes me to strive and be better. Being in his class has allowed me to analyze my life and realize I can do great things and be good as long as I try. And that’s always been the best thing about him.”

Sophomore Wyatt Dreibelbis gave a uniquely honest description of Mr. White’s class, arguing that Mr. White is an “8/10 good guy, but he sometimes does too much, and I’m bad at his class.” On the other hand, Juelz Rivera believes Mr. White to be a “reliable teacher and always willing to help you when you need it.”

Great teachers are hard to come by. It is hard to find a teacher who is both willing to challenge their students and to nurture them toward success. These teachers mold successful students and mature adults. This is what makes Mr. White such a valuable asset to McCaskey. He truly cares for his students and tirelessly works to ensure their future success. In the end, Mr. White, despite being a unique figure, is a truly remarkable teacher that every student across McCaskey deserves the chance to have.