When seniors look back on their four years at Mays, some things stand out more than others. For Whitney Taylor and Charles Gaston , two teachers, in particular, showed tough love to move them across the stage of graduation.

"He was very pushy but he did what he did because he wanted everyone to do their best," Taylor said of U.S. history teacher Eric Nobles.

Nobles, along with English department chair Bernadette McAdam, are two of the most difficult teachers the seniors encountered at Mays, they said.

Nobles did whatever was neccessary to push Taylor to pass the Georgia High School Graduation Test in social studies, she said.

"I would recommend his class to any upcoming junior.''

When Gaston remembers McAdam, he thinks back to all the essays he wrote in McAdam's literature class and the valuable writing skills she helped students develop to be successful.

"She was very hard and (almost) everyone failed her class,'' said Gaston, whose his eyes bulged and voice raised as he recalled McAdam's class.

Like Taylor who recommends Nobles to any junior, Gaston also suggest that rising seniors take McAdam's literature class.

"I am a hard teacher because I am trying to prepare students for college, technical school and the work force," said Nobles who has been teaching U. S. History for six years.

McAdam agrees with Nobles.

`` I set high expectations,'' she said. ``It is not being hard. It is raising the bar so students can achieve."

Nobles and McAdam play key roles in students' success on state exam such as the GHGT and the End of Course Tests. The teachers help students master state standards through writing, test practice and critical reading and analysis.

Both teachers have very high expectations for students and when they come into their classes; the students have to be prepared to work, Taylor and Gaston said.

"I know that my students are prepared for the real world because I look at the students who come back to tell me I've prepared them for college," McAdam said. "My ultimate goal is to see that I've prepared students for life after high school."