When the second semester of the 2017-18 school year started, it brought a new teacher with it, but not a regular teacher, a student teacher.

Mr. Leonard is interested in becoming a high school math teacher. Before he can become one, he has to be a student teacher at a local high school. That consists of being in a class and working as an extra teacher in case a student needs help, or in his case, being the new head teacher in the class.

The students really like having Mr. Leonard as their teacher.

“There isn’t really anything bad about him,” Kelcie Normand said, who is a student in one of his formal geometry classes. “He is closer to our age so he relates to us more and makes class interesting.”

Mr. Leonard loves teaching and is excited to begin teaching his own classes.

“I really love seeing that ‘aha’ moment on a kid’s face when they understand the math,” Mr. Leonard said.

This face-to-face experience is required to graduate and become a teacher.

Mr. Leonard studied at Mizzou and is now on his last couple of requirements before he is finished.

Mr. Leonard student teaches for four hours everyday at Liberty for Ms. Alcorn and Mrs. Hallemeier, which consists of two Formal Geometry classes, two regular Geometry classes and two Algebra II classes.

Mr. Leonard was going to be an engineer but decided to teach instead.

“I like being a teacher figure. When I was younger, everyone told me I would be a good at it,”  Mr. Leonard said.