Eighth grade Calvary student Muireann Cruz wrote about teacher Zach Ward for a local Lake Michigan Credit Union essay contest.

The following is an essay 8th grade Calvary student Muireann Cruz wrote and submitted for a recent Lake Michigan Credit Union essay contest. Students were asked to tell how their teacher embodies the definition of resilience. Cruz wrote about her teacher Zach Ward and won a $1,000 grant for Calvary Schools.

By Muireann Cruz

8th Grade Student
Calvary Schools of Holland

When COVID-19 took us all by surprise, there was a definitive feeling of confusion and fear. No one knew if schools would stay in session or if churches and stores would stay open. Eventually things started to change, but inside my classroom it stayed pretty much the same until we had to go online. This is because Mr. Zach Ward, the 7th grade teacher, is excellent at managing a class. Any talk that spread fear was shut down, which I’m grateful for – seeing as I had enough coming from the world. Mr. Ward was able to maintain a healthy class atmosphere.

Then, with almost no warning, we had to begin online learning. Many schools had optional classes on Zoom that students could participate in if they wanted to; some just had handouts for the students to work on at home. But not our class: within one weekend our school had developed an online schooling plan. Mr. Ward was one of the key teachers to help develop and implement this plan. Online classes started that Monday, and it went great. Within 15 minutes it felt almost like a normal class. Mr. Ward kept the class calm, peaceful and in order. If you ask me, that’s resilient. He was extremely flexible and patient when students’ internet failed. When they needed to leave the meeting and come back, he never got upset; he just helped us figure out what needed to happen.

I have friends whose teachers were not so resilient. These friends fell behind in school, because they were not made to attend the Zoom meeting. They went back to school this fall having forgot how to do some of the math concepts. I can only imagine how hard it was for their teachers to come up with a good game plan with such an unprecedented situation. That’s why I am so grateful for my teacher, Mr. Ward.

Mr. Ward has some congenital respiratory issues. This makes it very dangerous for him with the coronavirus, especially since we’ve been in-person this whole school year. Yet, he’s remained at school and has been strong in the face of hardships.

He’s our teacher again this year because our school decided to expand the Charlotte Mason education system to grades 8 through 12 as well. They also decided to move the whole middle school to the high school campus, so that the younger grades could have enough space for safe in-person instruction. Before, the elementary building had JK-7th grade in it. This meant Mr. Ward had to adapt to a new campus, a new classroom and a new grade to teach (8th grade). This was a big change, but again, he was resilient. He did exceptionally well. His teaching quality didn’t waver at all, even though he is teaching all new subjects this year.

This is why I believe Mr. Ward deserves to win the award: he embodies resilience.

Zach Ward is the 8th grade teacher and Director of Instruction at Calvary Schools of Holland. He has spent 20 years in teaching and education both domestically and abroad, working in various roles in bilingual classrooms, classical education, public school, administration, and Charlotte Mason education. He holds a master’s degree in education and is an Ambleside Master Teacher.