Josh Pace, beloved English teacher at Olentangy Berlin High School, has learned numerous lessons from his teaching and wrestling career.

   Pace always knew that he wanted to be in a career where he got to be social every day, meet new people, and learn new things. Teaching, coaching, and playing sports were just that for him. He has always been qualified to do all of these things, but it hasn’t stopped him from working hard. 

   “Doing the things everyday isn’t always good enough,” Pace said. “When your time is your time, you’ve got to be able to show up.” 

   Pace wrestled in high school and has coached dozens of kids, but he wasn’t always given his spot. He worked hard to not only be on varsity during his high school career but keep his spot on the team. His high school wrestling career seemed so important during the time but as he looks back he realizes how quickly things went by. 

   “I got so caught up in the moment, who I was with, what I was doing at the time that I’m like, ‘This is it. This is everything I have to make sure this is the best,’ and it’s not,” Pace said

   To enjoy the moment is something he fixates on and tells his students often. He appreciates every day as a teacher at Berlin and is grateful he gets the opportunity to coach the sport he used to play. One of the most important things that he has learned as a teacher is to not take things to heart too much.

   “If you take things personally, it’s not that kids don’t like you or don’t like your class, they’re just sort of acting out with you,” Pace said. 

   Over the years, he has learned that everybody is going through something different and has different ways of coping with it, one being acting out or treating him negatively. Pace has picked up important takeaways from athletes, students, and peers and hopes to share them with others in the future.