He was just a nice guy. Just the energy when you walked into the class. He was inviting, and he was positive all the time. He was never rude or in a bad mood, ever. He was always just there to help kids,” said Zoey Nichols (11), regarding Gig Harbor High School substitute teacher Daniel Williams, known fondly by the students as ‘Mr. Dan.’
Before he assumed his role at our school, he was a long-term teacher at Muckleshoot Tribal School in Auburn. He came to Gig Harbor High School in 2020, seizing an opportunity to help his daughter. For the next three years, Mr. Dan was a substitute at Gig Harbor. “Even as a substitute teacher, he would come early and he would leave late just so he could help students,” Michelle Suiter (Head of School) commented.
Over the years, he helped many students understand the concepts that were difficult for them to grasp. “That was the most engaged I had ever been in a math class. He taught math the way I learned math. He actually explained stuff to us,” Nichols recalled. Suiter added, “Because he was a math teacher, he made math safe. There are a lot of kids that struggle with math and don’t get it right away, and he was super patient. I heard from many parents and students that because of him, their kids passed math.” He taught students like their success was the most important thing in the world. Christian Keck (12) remarked, “He was very passionate about spreading the joy for math and would often solve impossible equations in class.” Sofia Andersen (10) reflected, “He made math a bit more enjoyable because for most of the year it was hard to understand math. I couldn’t understand it and I couldn’t enjoy it. When Mr. Dan came in, he would have us work on the board and then he would explain things in a way that made a lot more sense than what I learned before. He would go through and thoroughly explain each of the steps. He wouldn’t get annoyed when we asked questions. He’d keep helping you. Eventually, it got to a point where I didn’t need help as much anymore. That’s come over to this year, where I’m really enjoying math a lot more.”
Students really enjoyed having Mr. Dan as a substitute teacher. “He impacted me by his sense of humor and happiness. The way he would light up a room the second he walked in. You could tell he loved being a sub, and it stuck out to me,” Grace Mckee (11) said. “He impacted our school by his sense of humor and love for his job. It was very noticed by people who had him. He not only was great at teaching but also made it interesting at the same time which made him very special.” Mr. Dan was a very approachable person who made it a point to make students feel welcome by being patient and helping them with whatever they needed. He also just loved to talk to them. Andersen stated, “He was really nice. He would share a bunch of movies, and we would just talk about movies sometimes.”
In early November, Daniel Williams passed away due to heart conditions. Though he is not physically here anymore, he will be dearly missed and remembered, and the impact that he made on this high school will stretch far into the future. Suiter shared, “For the short amount of time that Mr. Dan was at Gig Harbor High School, his impact and his legacy will live on, because there are going to be so many students that are going to, at some point in their life, talk about their favorite teacher. And he will have been their favorite teacher, even though he was just a sub. He will have a lasting legacy, which is amazing.”
