“One cannot put a price on education and teaching — teachers have shaped students into the people they are today without any unwillingness or grudge. Teachers have pushed and directed students towards the path of success for decades. It is necessary to understand the amount of effort they spend on students, making sure they learn the skills needed in the real world. Teachers have some of the most challenging jobs there is.

Mr. Spence is definitely one of the most hard working and caring teachers on the Arcadia High School campus. After having a year of AP Biology with him as a teacher, anybody can see that Mr. Spence has always been there, always willing to help when needed. In a rigorous course such as AP Biology, many concepts may be confusing or unclear to students. Seeing this, Mr. Spence allowed his students to come in during lunch, during his own free time, to ask him questions. In doing so, he has answered many students’ questions at a time. Through sacrificing his free time to help students understand a subject, many have learned much more than what they would get just from reading the textbook and doing the homework. Furthermore, Mr. Spence’s classroom was much like a safe haven, even when students did not have questions on homework or the class material. Many times, students would come in during lunch either because they had other homework to do, or even just to have a pleasant conversation with him. Never was he unwilling to help others, and clarify concepts. He has always been genuinely caring towards his students no matter what. In addition, in order to actually teach his students and help them learn and now just memorize, Mr. Spence would prompt questions whilst explaining concepts. This way, students were not just given an answer to their question. Instead, a question was asked as well to invoke further thought into the ideas in the subject at hand. To most, Mr. Spence was more than just a teacher – He was a friend and an advisor. In many cases, students have gone to him for help on subjects not just limited to what they were learning in his class. He has always been there for his students and even outside of class he is kind with the occasional “Hello! How are you?” in the hallways to his past students. As both a teacher and a friend, he has always been there for his students regardless of the  For most students, his class was their favorite due to its safe and friendly learning environment. The class was much like a small family, knowing each other for the whole year and bonding together along the way. Thank you Mr. Spence for being an amazing teacher!”  —Cynthia Lin, Pow Wow, Writer