Whether they teach algebra, history or life lessons, teachers at BV guide students toward success, going above and beyond each day to support high schoolers.
“A teacher I look up to is for sure Mr. Dolezal,” sophomore Jonas Schultz said.
Schultz said some traits of a good mentor include someone with sympathy, empathy, and patience. Honesty and openness were also key qualities to Schultz.
“I personally look for someone who’s more dependable and reliable,” Schultz said. “I need some sort of stability when it comes to someone I look up to because I aspire to be someone who can be dependable for someone else.”
During Schultz’s time at BV, Dolezal has adopted the mentor role, as Schultz describes him as that “dependable and reliable” person he looks for.
“Whenever I was first getting into high school, I had questions and [Dolezal] was there for me to ask those questions, not only about school, but also some key life questions,” Schultz said. “I believe there would have been a missing piece to school [without him]. I would have lost more my freshman year if it weren’t for him.”
Schultz said Dolezal helped him discover interests beyond the school day.
“I really stressed about grades all throughout middle school and wanted to be that perfect straight-A student,” Schultz said. “I learned that I have other outside things that are important to me too. I realized [with his advice] that having a perfect 4.0 GPA is not everything to me.”
Teachers like Dolezal don’t just focus on curriculum-based education but try to get to know students and teach them life lessons.
“Outside of school, he opened my mind up to different aspects of [my life],” Schultz said. “There’s one thing that he always says: ‘Never be a stranger.’ That’s [something] I’d like to continue to do. Whenever I see people I know, I always try to say hi or whenever I see him, of course, I always say hi and have a little conversation.”
Dolezal has left his mark on many students, and Schultz is just one example.
“He has definitely inspired me to be someone better than I previously was,” Schultz said.
