Teachers are the vital supporters of our academic success. They are the reason for our knowledge and skills to grow and thrive. Teachers are the one who help us create a path in life starting as soon as pre-school! As unbelievable as that may be to think about, it is reality. My appreciation for teachers has grown over the years, as they have been my mentors to help me create my own path. They have been my guides during my successes and failures. I would like nominate my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Chorus teacher, Mr. Smith who has been my biggest supporter throughout my middle school year for Teen Inks 2011 Educator of the Year.

During my 6th grade, I had my first chorus class. I was not too sure how would it go, since it was my first time ever signing up for a singing class. During the first few classes of chorus, I felt nervous about the course work and the teacher. I was not sure what to expect and how to approach Mr. Smith. Initially, I felt he was overly strict and awkward with his way of teaching. I was not familiar with any of the students either, so the class atmosphere seemed nerve-racking. It was a rocky start to the year in singing class. However, as time went by, I started feel more confident and comfortable in his class.

As the year progressed, I realized Mr. Smith ended up teaching us a lot of new and useful information. He made the concepts easy to understand by making the presentations visual and interactive. He spoke to all of the students as if they were his friends. Mr. Smith always listened to our thoughts and opinions even and took them into consideration. He always owned up to his mistakes if he ever made them. He created a fun, laid back environment which allowed me to create my own comfort zone. He not only taught us about singing and music, but he also taught us skills of team work, leadership, work ethic, and how to produce quality work.

During my 7th and 8th grade years, Mr. Smith created a great teacher-student relationship. I started to apply the knowledge I learned in 6th grade to the new concepts that he taught us. When the time came close to my graduation, I knew I was going to miss his class. Mr. Smith was not only a great teacher, but my favorite teacher of all time in school. Based on the 3 year experience, I was hoping to have a teacher like him in high school.

Today, I still use many of the skills and information he taught me in the past three years. I believe I have grown as a better student after taking his class. Though he was not a math, science, or reading teacher, I still think he taught me more than my actual academic teachers. The quality of his teaching was very impressive. I will always cherish the great memories of Chorus. I thank Mr. Smith for this, and these are the reasons why I would like to nominate him for Teen Ink’s 2011 Educator of the Year.