Uni simply won't be the same without Elizabeth Jockusch

By David Boyle
Gargoyle co-editor-in-chief
Posted Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006, The OG, opinions

The retirement of math teacher Elizabeth Jockusch is a devastating loss to the Uni faculty and community. During her 26 years at Uni, Mrs. Jockusch has challenged students to take full advantage of every ounce of their potential in mathematics. Her office door is always open and a smile is always on her face.

Correction. A smile is on her face unless the work of her students has truly gone awry. For example, her face is marked with disappointment whenever she hands back homework assignments marked with a damning “2” or god forbid a “1.”

Mrs. Jockusch does not get upset over bad work, but as a student I can sense personal disappointment in her. She understands the potential that all her students have, and she is dismayed when they don't live up to it.

Many of her students do not live up to their potential. From time to time, they don't give their calculus homework the attention it deserves. Regrettably, I am amongst them. I am one of the students who groans at the long assignments and then scrambles to do them during free periods.

I am not one of the wise students who darkens her doorway on a daily basis. Mrs. Jockusch has three trademarks; long homework, painstaking tests, and phenomenal personal attention to students. If you have a problem, Mrs. Jockusch has answers. When she ameliorates all of your concerns she kindly says, “Thank you for shopping mathmart,” as you walk out the door.

The fondness with which her students speak of her paints a positive picture of Mrs. Jockusch. Many of us resent the work involved in the class, but we all have wonderful impressions of her as a person. Her dedication is unparalleled — it never ceases to amaze me when she manages to meticulously grade homework of her fiftysome students each and every night.

Of course I complain about the tests and bicker about the homework with the best of them. Despite my best efforts, I really have had an amazing experience with Elizabeth Jockusch in calculus my senior year.

I can only imagine what students would say about her who have a greater appreciation for higher mathematics than I. I don't like math, but I have grown very fond of Mrs. Jockusch and her calculus class. I was upset to hear the news about Mrs. Jockusch's retirement because she is such an important part of Uni, and the school simply won't be the same without her.

Not a single student in her class doesn't appreciate what she does every day to help us master calculus. I know that they would all support me in thanking Mrs. Jockusch for her 26 years of service to the students of Uni High.