I realized I loved Chemistry when my teacher lit his own arm on fire.

Mr. Ian Guch, Honors Chemistry teacher and author of ” The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Chemistry,” has a way of engaging his students and helping them discover how amusing science can be.

Sitting in the front row of his class sophomore year, I considered myself in the “splash zone.” I was the first to see the blaze of the flame, smell the burning hair off Mr. Guch’s arm, and often was the butt of his jokes. So when the opportunity arose to help edit the third edition of the Idiot’s Guide, I jumped at the chance.

Anyone who has taken Mr. Guch’s class, upon picking up the book, will immediately hear his voice within its pages. Editing the rough drafts of the pages, he encouraged us to tell him when a concept was hard to understand, or when he made a dumb joke. It’s pretty cool to think that a nationally published book will have had my input in it, and even cooler to know that students at Langley get to have Mr. Guch teach us the exact lessons from the book.

In such a large high school as Langley, it is sometimes hard to leave a mark. There are the three-sport athletes, the 4.6 GPA students, and the extremely musically or theatrically talented kids. Unfortunately, I am none of the above, but helping to edit the book will forever stand out as a defining experience at Langley.

Published on Dec. 6, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Chemistry: 3rd Edition” included the names of the students who aided in editing the book. This is a mark that I have made in my high school days, reminding me both of my entertaining and informational experiences with chemistry, even if I choose not to go into that field. It also will remind me of the great times in that class, and the inspirational teacher that led it.