Four years. Four years of students’ lives are spent in high school. Throughout those years you get to experience some really amazing teachers and some unfavorable teachers. As a senior in high school, I’ve noticed that the main difference between those two kinds of teachers is based on their ability to adapt to the constantly changing world around them. I got the chance to interview Greater Latrobe High School teacher Robert Saveikis, who has taught for 28 years and teaches AP Human Geography. I hope sharing his words of experience can better the relationship between teachers and students. 

I First asked Saveikis, “What has been the biggest change you have seen in students over the years?” He responded with,“ I would probably say the presence of technology. It’s substituting for a lot of their life.” Saveikis goes on to talk about kids having so many friends online and talking to them through social media, but when it comes to holding conversations in real life, they don’t want to talk.  “So I think that’s the biggest change I’ve seen, is kids’ inability to just have a conversation.”  He even expressed that kids didn’t even want to participate in class. So, I then asked him the question, “Do you think that the kids are scared to raise their hands and get judged or they simply just don’t want to?” He then replied with, “It’s interesting you say that because I asked my last set of the day why you do not talk when I ask you a question about something you can have an opinion on. Nobody answered. One of my students raised their hand and said Mr. Saveikis because they don’t want to be judged. We are supposed to all think the same thing.” That answer really shocked him. He went on to discuss that students are concerned that their peers will attack their opinion and that they think it’s just easier to give in and agree. 

The next question I asked Saveikis was, “Do you think students lack motivation?” He responded with, “I think kids have a purpose when you provide meaning to something and how it impacts you in your life.” Saveikis goes on to say that he has seen that kids are the most motivated when kids are able to relate things to themselves and what’s happening in their world. In some cases it may just be being unmotivated, and technology is feeding that because students now have access to AI and are even using it to write their own papers for them. “It’s a battle teachers are facing everyday,” he says. Saveikis repeats himself and goes back to saying how teachers need to teach with purpose. “And I think Greater Latrobe does a great job at that,” he states.

As a senior in high school, I thought to myself that even if all of my teachers were deeply passionate and could always spark my interest, I could still find a way to lose interest. So I asked, “What advice would you give students that are under duress with certain topics that they don’t necessarily want to learn about at all?” Saveikis answered my question with a completely different approach than I was expecting. He went on to talk about how if there was one person that wasn’t interested in a certain subject the best he could do is offer support to the student. However, if the majority of the students do not show interest in the subject then that lets him know as a teacher, he needs to adapt and try to make it more interesting for the kids. “Do I always 100% succeed? No. But I keep trying and trying new things. You just challenge yourself every year, and when I stop doing that it’s time to retire.” Saveikis said.

I then asked him, “Do you think students want to get good grades for the wrong reason?” He replied, “Yes, I think today colleges pushed academics to a point where kids are more concerned about their grade point average than they are about what they learned. They need to see the person as a whole.” His answer was very thoughtful in my opinion because he didn’t blame students for that mindset. Sure, students might get good grades for the wrong reason, but that is the standard colleges are holding students to for success. Not all good students are the best at achieving good grades, but they have the passion to learn. Tests are a huge part of every student’s grade which ultimately affects their GPA. So, just because someone works badly under pressure means they have pretty much failed at being a good student? 

While on the topic of good grades I asked Saveikis, “In your opinion, what would you consider a good grade?” He replied with a simple answer, “Whatever the kid is capable of doing.” He discussed how it is not just important that the student showed progress and determination, but that the student shows him their absolute best they possibly can, and no letter grade can determine that. 

I then asked him, “What can’t you stress enough to your students?” He replied, “I can provide you with an opportunity, but I cannot give you the outcome. The outcome is going to be determined by how far you take it.” I think it is important for students to hear this piece of advice from Saveikis. A lot of students haven’t come to terms with the fact that they determine their own future. Every single decision you make has a purpose. Take every opportunity and work for a positive outcome before it’s too late and you’ve missed it.

To end our discussion, I asked him one final question, “Do you start to take it personally when students do badly in your class?” He answers,  “Yes. I always have…We take pride in our work because it’s your future. We want you guys to have a better life than we had.” It’s truly such a selfless thing to say because it may just be the student that doesn’t want to learn. Instead, the first thought to him, and I’m sure many other teachers, is what they did wrong and how they can better their teaching so they can better your future . I think this is crucial for students to hear because it’s not just your future you’re hurting when you don’t take school seriously, it’s your teachers pride.