By SUNNY KAMADJEU
Jericho says farewell to English teacher Mr. Michael Kramer who is retiring after teaching for 30 years, with all of them at Jericho High School.
Mr. Kramer has had a very gratifying career. He said, “It’s just a great deal of satisfaction. It’s hard to imagine that I’ve actually been here for 30 years.”
Mr. Kramer will miss sharing his passion for literature with his students. He said, “I’ll miss the interaction with kids and just the beauty of reading and getting them to appreciate language, writing, and literature.”
As his former student, I can attest that Mr. Kramer’s love for literature exuded in his teaching. He guided my class line by line through ”Romeo and Juliet,” which was challenging for us freshmen to read and interpret. He helped to translate the older vocabulary into modern English and explain the plot. Mr. Kramer said, “I always remember I loved teaching ninth grade. It just reminds me of teaching ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and there was just a great sense of wonder when they figured out what passages meant and what was going on. “
Aside from daily interactions and discussions of literature with students, one of Mr. Kramer’s favorite moments was when he and his students watched the comedy, ”Fool Moon”. Mr. Kramer was thoroughly pleased that his students wanted to discuss the film long after they watched it.
Fellow English teacher Ms. Hederian will miss his sense of humor and how he has mentored her throughout her years. She said, “He is so smart and so funny–I can hardly keep up with his wit sometimes. He has taught me so much about writing, literature, and grammar.”
English teacher Ms. Zimmerman agrees with Ms. Hederian. She said, “He was always trying to facilitate laughter which I think was just a pleasant way to create a positive workforce and a positive community.”
Ms. Zimmerman learned from Mr. Kramer, to enjoy the little pleasures of life with loved ones. “I learned to stop and take time to laugh and chat with people who care about you and your wellbeing,” she said.
Junior Katherine L. was a student in Mr. Kramer’s AP Seminar class. She appreciated his grammar instruction and how he made sure his students understood the concepts he taught.
In retirement, Mr. Kramer plans on helping his sons adjust to their jobs and living conditions. Of course, he plans on lots of reading, and on traveling to Europe and different parts of the country like Chicago and Nashville.
Mr. Kramer provided some advice to his colleagues. He said, “Keep going with the reading. You want kids to have a really good education to read not only the newer great works, but also the classics.”
As a student in his English II class of period 5, class of 2026. I always find students being proactive in his class. Whenever Mr Kramer ask us a question, we would all answer him with a loud and proud voice with no hesitation. It has been to the point where he thinks we are the loudest of all of his classes. His jokes made the entirety of period 5 fall into laughter every attempt.
I was one of his English II students at period 5, I like how students in Mr Kramer’s class love being proactive and speaking immensely within his class. Whenever Mr Kramer asked us questions, we would all answer him with no hesitation. Mr Kramer always says that we are too loud and are never being silent.