Randy Vincent, Robinson’s AP Statistics teacher, starts every class by saying “It’s another beautiful day here at Robinson High School, South Tampa, Florida 33616- that’s a big zip code.”

Vincent has worked at Robinson for the past three years, and recently entered his fourth and last year of teaching here. Tuesday, September 4, he announced to his students that September 5 is his last day teaching at Robinson.

Robinson isn’t a stranger to teachers leaving, with last year’s AP Physics class cycling through multiple teachers throughout the year. With the departure of Vincent, his AP students face a new problem, finding a qualified teacher in time to prepare for the AP exam.

“This is my first time a teacher has left and I saw it coming because traditional students said that a lot of their teachers leave midway through the year. I’m taking the AP class because it’s a prerequisite for college and I really need to pass it at this point,” Gabriela Arias (’18), a student in AP Statistics, said.

Vincent is leaving for family issues, and remains unaware of any replacements set in place. AP classes have a tight schedule, and even small interruptions, especially in the beginning of the year, can throw the class into disarray. Despite Vincent’s quick departure, he left his class practice work to keep their grades up.

“Hopefully they’ll take what they’ve learned from me and be responsible for their own learning and be successful,” Vincent said.

AP classes are known for being difficult, with a rigorous place and exam that challenges all students. As of 2018, the AP Statistics exam pass rate was 60.6%. With the threat of a substitute, AP Statistics students are searching for other methods of learning.

“I’m changing electives and taking the course on FLVS. I won’t do as well as I could if I had a teacher all year round, there’s no point in staying if I don’t learn as much,” Lindsey Mandt (’21) said.

Vincent’s parting advice for his students is, “Maintain a strict academic focus.”