Blazin’ Up Spotsy: John Blaze

by Mimi Richards
February 5, 2010
Filed under Classes & Clubs

Twenty-one eager bodies squirmed in their desk anticipating the arrival of their local radio host John Blaze on January 29. Mrs. Coffman offered her eleventh grade English class a treat when she asked Blaze to come to Spotsy and offer words of wisdom to her difficult but potential class.

Mrs. Coffman addressed her class before introducing John Blaze: “To start off, you were known for behavior problems and being tardy almost every class period.” Although this proved to be an issue, Coffman noted that her classes academic stamina was excellent.

“You guys had the highest benchmark scores out of all four of my classes, and some of the best scores on your mid-term,” said Coffman.

Blaze’s intention for visiting with Coffman’s class in particularly was to discuss future plans about college and career choices. Blaze used his own personal experiences in high school to motivate the students. He talked about his struggle to graduate with his senior class because laziness and procrastination got the best of him.

The occasional nods to his advice and yearning eyes of the students led him to pose the question, “What do you want to do?”

He randomly chose students from aroung the classroom to answer his question and offered them ideas on how they could further pursue their intended career.

From aspiring singers to nurses to soccer players, Mrs. Coffman has a roomful of vibrant young people with a promising future. John Blaze left hopeful knowing that he was able to change an entire classroom of students perspective about the importance of school and with some form of optimism in their minds.