AP English teacher Travis McNair has been acknowledged for his exceptional teaching skills and impactful connections with students with his nomination for the LifeChanger of the Year Award, an annual award that recognizes K-12 teachers regardless of their origin or beliefs.

McNair tries to set himself apart from other teachers through exemplifying his own beliefs about the teaching process.

“Being a good teacher to me means helping students progress from where they are coming into the school year to being better than before at the end of the year,” McNair said. “We get too focused on bringing every student to the same point which inevitably marginalizes everyone, and good education comes with advancing students in their personal skills.”

McNair is the first teacher on campus to be nominated for this award and he is not hesitant to express gratitude.

“Being nominated means a great deal to me because a student took the time to fill out a very lengthy application for me,” McNair said. “The award group doesn’t publish the application but summarizes what the student wrote, and it’s highly flattering that I made an impact on a student’s life.”

But McNair isn’t involved in teaching for the recognition, instead he does it for the love of education and the connections made between himself and his students.

“The number one thing I can gain from students is trust,” McNair said. “For the most part there’s no particular teaching strategy I use, I just try to empathize with the students. Myself and many other teachers try to think back to when we were in high school and how we would react to certain situations.”

His former students can validate his exceptional teaching.

“Mr. McNair always came into class with a plan to accomplish for the day and we always got it done in time,” senior Ally Ruggeri said. “He is very intelligent and has a great attitude, which makes learning not so bad.”

Even those he hasn’t taught appreciate his efforts and desire to be a useful team member.

“Mr. McNair has a wealth of knowledge and works hard to hone and refine his craft,” English department head Stacey Whaling said. “His nomination shows that he cares a lot about what he does and how it adds to the capacity of not just his students, but his team members too.”