Mr. Vlastnik is a common favorite teacher among the student body, and with this article I wish to shine some light on why he is often claimed as such. Mr. V, as he’s usually called, has been teaching at Dee-Mack for roughly six years now. His main subjects being U.S. History, Psychology, Sociology, and Contemporary Issues. He enjoys all his subjects, but Psychology and Contemporary Issues really provides the special opportunities.
Psychology allows Mr. V to educate people on a subject widely misunderstood that’s often only recognized on a surface level while Contemporary Issues lets students apply that same idea via esoteric presentations. He stated his favorite memory from teaching has been giving the graduation speech for the class of 2025 last year.
Mr. V is lauded by the student body for his complex background and in that vein I’ll share some details about him. He has held a menagerie of jobs from working his way up the Starved Rock hierarchy, fitting suits, and becoming a college professor to a brief stint in an office space until landing in his ideal job as a humble high school teacher. Which explains why the title of inspirational idol in his life goes to his father, who went back to school at forty to go into a new career.
Other facts include being a boy scout and fencer in his youth as well as having an aquarium. He loves traveling with his wife, who is a French teacher. Japan, Paris, and Bordeaux are among some of the places they’ve been. Bordeaux was his favorite, primarily for its food and culture.
Mr. V’s music tastes can be described as alternative punk with dashes of metal. His favorite song is Sound System by Operation Ivy, and his favorite band is The Devil Wears Prada, who he saw in concert recently and liked in high school. Regarding other media, he enjoys classic sci-fi novels such as The Moon is Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein and he considers Raiders of the Lost Ark to be his favorite movie. Regarding games, he said his favorite has to be Civilization 5, although the Fromsoft Souls games are a contender.
No matter what class you have Mr. Vlastnik for you’ll be remiss not to pay attention to it because I can with certainty say it’s one of the only groups of subjects that’s hard not to enjoy especially with such a cool figure at the helm. I can truly only say thank you to Mr. V for the good interview and being an even better teacher.
