A teacher who shouts, screams, and tells about her life stories seems like an unworthy opponent for teacher of the year—right? Wrong. Mrs. Holloway, my first hour Advanced Composition teacher, has more personality, wit, and charisma than all 2,400 Arrowhead High School adolescents put together.

September 2nd, 2009…the first day of senior year. Sweaty palms, awkward smiles, and nervous laughs accompany high school students trudging to their first class of the day. I have Advanced Composition. I knew grammar and the unknown “dead word” would be my fate for the next semester…yuck. But little did I know, every time I walked to class, I would have a smile on my face.

I came in slowly in and apprehensively sat in my chair. She started to talk about the course and various things we will be completing. Typical first day of school. But she was not typical. She was excited about the course; that interested me. She never just went through the motions, like some of my teachers do.

“DO YOU WANT MY JOB,” she screamed.
Our class ended up calculating how many papers she reads over the course of a semester. 5,850. This may seem off topic, but she always finds a way to tie our conversations back to class. It gives our work a sense of reality. It makes me listen as if her voice physically grabs me and makes me pay attention.

Not only can I say she is my funny, caring, and thoughtful teacher—but I can say she’s my friend. When walking to the computer lab, I seldom walk with classmates. I find myself talking and laughing down the halls with a teacher! Also, I know she genuinely cares about me. Each class she asks me how I am, or what happened over the weekend. This usually leads to laughter and storytelling, which is the perfect way to start off a stressful day of school.

Now, with only 18 weeks left of my high school career, I couldn’t imagine the year without Mrs. Holloway. She has broken the all too familiar wall between teachers and students, the barrier between school and fun, and the restraint between a teacher and a friend. When I leave Arrowhead Union High School, I am proud to say I was taught by Mrs. Holloway. My teacher. My mentor. My friend.