Math teacher JD Marchand focuses on aiding success

Jon David Marchand is a problem solver. He is also a math teacher, a coach, and a mentor who works toward assisting students in and out of the classroom.

Marchand has pursued activities that were constant throughout his entire life. “I playedbaseball and football and I’ve always wanted to coach those two sports. I love interactions withstudents outside of the classroom,” Marchand said.

He coaches boys’ varsity baseball at this school and has been coaching for 22 years. He also used to coach the football team. “He encourages us to do our best,” sophomore Justin Karis said.

Along with sports, Marchand has been committed to helping others his whole life. “In high school I enjoyed helping my peers, specifically in math,” Marchand said.

Following this passion, he pursued his career as a math teacher, focused on prioritizing his students. “I like helping kids… I want to reach my students,” Marchand said. 

His goal is to connect with students and improve understanding of the topics. His students recognize and appreciate his style of teaching. “Mr. Marchand is an engaging teacher that aids students in their ability to comprehend material,” sophomore Ben Wang said.

Along with helping students, Marchand focuses on having a positive environment in hisclassroom. Marchand said he wants his students to enjoy the class and strives to “make it as entertaining as possible.”

One problem Marchand can’t seem to solve is managing his time. “Time is always an issue, everything seems to be going so fast,” Marchand said.

Teachers have an abundance of commitments such as their preps and requirements,meeting with co-workers and students, covering classes, giving lessons, and their personal and family lives at home. All of this makes it difficult to fulfill everything. Due to the pandemic, the online school year slowed down the pace everyone was previously used to. The difference in speed between the two years makes it difficult to adjust to the workload the current school year has brought. “Everything seems to be going so fast since last year everything moved so much slower. It feels like I am constantly moving uphill,” Marchand said.

Besides teaching and coaching, Marchand exercises his athletic personality andparticipates in golfing, skiing and spending time with his family. “I enjoy doing anything withsports,” Marchand said.

Another way Marchand helps benefit his students is by being patient and responsive, especially with questions. “He is always available and willing to take time to answer questions in class,” Wang said.

Marchand was inspired to teach, following in his parents footsteps. “Both my parents were teachers,” Marchand said.