One might think that AP Comparative Government is an extremely dull class to take, its student attendance mostly fuelled by graduation requirements. But having Mr. Pasqua as a teacher makes the process of dissecting governments and economies far more interesting. It was an interesting experience the first time I walked through the door with a semi-threatening Dante quote telling me to “abandon all hope”. Between that and the full-size skeleton that made an appearance around Halloween, it certainly gives Mr. Pasqua a bit of a mysterious and intimidating aura.

The class itself has its own difficulties. Comparative Government requires students to be able to analyze and look at differences and similarities between not only different types of government, but real countries where they are in use right now. There are a lot of outside factors that contribute to a path a government and its people take, and the history and traditions of each governing system is taken into account as well. There is much more below the surface on the workings of a nation than one would initially see. That kind of description matches Mr. Pasqua as well. Though some may see him as just a teacher, he is also one who likes to have fun and tease others. Leading up to Back to School Night, he wished that the school administration wouldn’t veto his plan to have parents throw bean bags to try to secure their kids’ grades. He also makes it regular practice to tease the class relentlessly. He comes up with quips on the spot against the more talkative students, and he is not afraid to knock an obnoxious one down a few pegs.

Mr. Pasqua is also not shy about sharing his opinions with the class. And though parts of them might differ from mine or some of my classmates, his ability to articulate the reason behind his beliefs is food for thought. I personally feel it beneficial to hear other views and their rationale because it helps teach how to put everything into perspective and consider other contexts. Academically, having Mr. Pasqua as a teacher has also made understanding the complex inner workings of government much more simplified. As he himself does not like wasting time, he also helps students save time by lecturing and expanding on only the portions of the text that are necessary to know. And though he only takes a handful of days to cover the basics, he has a plethora of extra resources to flesh out each point to use in class. From documentaries to articles, there is a clear and efficient process that he teaches in, and I find I learn quite a lot as long as I put the effort in.

AP Comparative Government is a challenging course, but under the guidance of Mr. Pasqua, I’ve been able to cruise through the class relatively easily. I’d like to thank him for making, what I expected to be a tedious class, into one I look forward to going to every day.

-Cindy Tse, 12, Pow Wow, Staff Writer