Henrico's Top Teachers – Joshua Aldrich, Deep Run High School, physical education and driver's education

As a student himself, Joshua Aldrich had so many stand-out teachers and coaches that he says it would be impossible to name them all.

But he has no trouble naming his primary inspiration to become a teacher: Father Brennan Eagan. "Forty years ago," Aldrich says, "I watched Father Brennan inspire people to do the right thing and to choose paths wisely by making good choices."

From then on, Aldrich could not imagine anything he wanted more than to become a role model like Father Brennan, and to inspire that same love of learning in youth.

Today, Father Brennan's belief that life is all about choices is just one of the lessons Aldrich strives to impart each day in the classroom.

And it's clear from the comments of students who wrote to nominate Aldrich that they have taken his lessons to heart.

One student wrote that having Aldrich for a teacher has sparked his curiosity and had a major impact on the way he thinks. "He makes a student want to learn and know more," the student said.

A golf team member wrote to praise the teacher's positive attitude, while another member of the team said, "Coach Aldrich has helped me become more respectful of others, and gave me a new perspective on many things in my life."

More than one student mentioned Aldrich's supportiveness, noting that while he sets high expectations, he is also quick to lend a hand to those who stumble.

"When there are students struggling," wrote a student, "he will do everything in his power to help the students out. He also make sure the student feels safe and cared for at all times. His dedication and compassion to his students are amazing to witness. "He taught me what it means to be there for someone," said another student. "When I needed it, he was right there with me."

"Coach Aldrich consistently makes sure that anyone who tries or attempts to do their best gets the support necessary to succeed," wrote a third.

But membership in the coach's fan club is by no means limited to students. Aldrich once had a memorable visit from a parent who thanked him for prompting a major turnaround in her son's life.

For years, the student's mother told Aldrich, her son had disliked physical education. He was not good at P.E., she said, so he had little confidence, kept mostly to himself, and lacked motivation when it came to any physical activity.

The mother became tearful as she told Aldrich that, with him as a teacher, the boy blossomed. He would come home from school and show his parents exercises that he'd learned in class, demonstrating proper form and technique.

"He now has motivation to be active," the teen's mother exclaimed. "He has more confidence in talking with others. He cleans his room daily and has started to organize his life!"

Initially puzzled about the change in her son, the mom finally realized what caused it -- because the boy went around quoting his teacher.

"Coach Aldrich talks about it all the time!" he would say. "Organize your life and do the right thing!" Aldrich maintains that all he did was find a way to establish a connection with the teen. "My belief has always been, 'Make a connection . . . and you can teach them anything.'"

The story provides just one example of why Aldrich cannot picture himself involved in anything else but teaching and coaching.

"It’s truly something I enjoy daily. I love the people I interact with on a daily basis.

"I am the blessed one," he contends, "to be able to do it!"