When one thinks of teachers, one may be inclined to think of them as “strict” and “one-dimensional”. However, this is not the truth. One of the prime exceptions is Mr. Roche. Although Mr. Roche is known for his outgoing and open personality, there are some things you may not know about NAHS’ resident math whiz. This is the feature where we all get an extra glimpse at Mr. Roche.

Mr. Roche’s favorite movie is “The Monster Squad”. The plot involves three nerdy kids that were huge fans of monsters. Suddenly, these monsters are brought to life, and the three monster fanatics are the only ones who know how to control them. The film is regarded as “campy”, which means it contains exaggerated and stereotypical movie elements that are made to be conspicuous. His favorite characters included Horace (the outcast), Rudy (the cool kid), and Sean (the brains). Mr. Roche thinks he embodies Sean and Horace the most, as both a natural born leader and nerdy simultaneously. The “Stephen King Rules” shirt that Roche roams the halls with is from this film.

Besides movies, Mr. Roche is also an avid fan of video games. One of those particular games is “Skyrim” a RPG (Role-Playing Game) where, in my personal experience, you create your own character and are granted the opportunity to explore the vast, uncharted lands that the game has to offer. He has recently created his own new character. His current favorite game is the “Secret of Monkey Island”, which is a computer game which involves going on quests. Another one of his current all-time favorites is Xbox 360’s “Gears of War 2”.

If he could personally be any television character, it would be the departing Jon Stewart. Mr. Roche sincerely enjoys his intelligent humor. If he could be any superhero, it would be Spider-Man because he would enjoy the concept of swinging around. If he could be any movie character, he would be StarLord from the hit movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” due to his bravery, and it doesn’t hurt that Roche thinks he would be able to survive in space. He is also a fan of professional wrestling, where he believes the “good vs. evil” concept is able to help children differentiate from right and wrong at an early age.

All of the things Mr. Roche enjoys are things that those he teaches enjoy too. He believes his love for comic books, movies, and wrestling help keep him in touch with his younger side and make him relatable. This close-knit vulnerability that Roche has defeats the stigma that teachers are not able to relate to students. This is embodied with the statement he made about his opinion on Superman. He believes that, “Superman is not brave; you can’t be brave if you’re indestructible”. Mr. Roche’s empathy is facilitated with the common ground he is able to make with his students. This makes him such a great and well-liked teacher. He is able to bridge the gap between the authority role as a teacher, and his interests as a human being. He believes that, “Everyone has an extraordinary ability; you just have to use it in the right way”. This is used in full effect with Mr. Roche, and bringing out the “other side” of students by being able to share his interests helps make him that much of a better teacher, and person.