According to math teacher Ricky Ryan, the most rewarding part of teaching is seeing his students succeed – whether that be making an A on a test, winning a district championship, competing at State, or just understanding a new concept. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys listening to mellow music, reading biographies, and watching basketball.

Ryan said he believes an excellent teacher must have patience and must be able to understand students while communicating the lesson in a way students can comprehend it. When he was in high school, Ryan said he seemed to be able to explain things to other students and help them with their work. His parents were both teachers as well, so it seemed like a good job to have. It also gave him the chance to do the two things he likes most: math and basketball.

Ryan said he hopes his students will take from him some knowledge of math and realize that it takes effort and practice to be good at something. He also hopes his students would think that he is fair and that he cares about them.

When he was in school, Ryan played basketball, ran track, competed in UIL Number Sense, and was a member of the National Honor Society. If he could travel anywhere in the world, he would go to Hawaii to enjoy the climate, beaches, pineapples, and macadamia nuts. If he were stranded on a deserted island, he would want to have some water, the Bible, and a pre-calculus book with him.

Ryan’s favorite quote is, “Respect all and fear none” because everybody is worthy of respect and you don’t have to do anything to earn it. On the other hand, no one is so powerful or great that they should be feared.

According to Ryan, something most people don’t know about him is that he is actually not very smart.

“I once kicked an alligator in the tail to get it to move out of my way,” he said. “I am lucky he wasn’t hungry or I would have been his lunch.”