I feel when you are a teacher you don’t only have to teach but you also have to put your students first when working. Although many teachers do this, I find one teacher I had in particular really went above and beyond with this concept. My former 8th grade Social Studies teacher Mr. Thomas, was not only a great teacher, but he really cared for his students. He was almost like a friend to us but not so much to the point where he didn’t discipline us. He was there for us when we needed him, but he was also hard on us when he needed to be.

It was his first year working at BSS, but he accomplished so much. One thing in particular he did was plan a field trip to Williamsburg, Virgina. He had done this at his old school and had to convince our principal to let us go on this three day trip. The trip was very successful, and I feel it was also very educational. I don’t think many people were expecting it to go as well as it did considering it was our first year.

The only “bad” thing that happened during that trip was that I fractured my ankle. I’m a clumsy person, and I get hurt a lot so I walked it off without telling anyone. When we got back to the hotel, my friend told the principal and Mr. Thomas. He then rushed me to the hospital after allowing me to alert my parents about the situation. While I was at the hospital along with him and another teacher, he stayed with me until 11 when I was sent back to the hotel. The next day he bought me a wheelchair so I could still enjoy the trip without being in a lot of pain. He told our class before that only one person had gone to the hospital in the many years of him doing this trip. This shows he was prepared for any situation and reacted immediately, to which I am very thankful for.

I think the biggest thing he has done for me was during the second marking period. I was going through a very rough time that marking period, and I wasn’t doing well in a lot of my classes and especially his. There was one essay I remember I just couldn’t get myself to write; I tried so many times, but I just couldn’t do it. He pulled me aside one day and asked if I was going to turn it in because it was pretty late. I told him I didn’t know and he then told me to come to his room during lunch. He sat with me and helped me with the essay making sure I got it done. This shows he cared enough to take his lunch time to help me through a rough time. When he put the essay in HAC, my grade increased, and it really put me in a better state of mind. While he obviously took many points off for being late, it was still a lot better than a 0%.

In conclusion, Mr. Thomas was not only a great teacher but also someone I knew I could go to when things got hard. He cares for his students and knows how to teach us so we actually take in the information. I am very thankful for all he has done for me, and I know in my heart he is the best teacher I have had. He deserves the best anyone could give him and he really knows what he is doing. For these reasons and more, he’s my choice for Teen Ink’s Educator of the Year.