After being in school for over 10 years you see a lot of teachers, there was one teacher in particular that sticks out to me, Mrs. Simon. Mrs. Simon was my 8th grade English teacher, and let me tell you; she was great. She is not your ordinary teacher. Mrs. Simon knows what being a good teacher means. She not only taught me a lot about English, but she also taught me valuable life lessons.

Mrs. Simon was all ears all the time; you could talk to her about anything! She always listened no matter what you had to say, whether it was about a problem you were having or just wanting to talk. Whenever I got the chance, we would have great conversations that were honest and open. She’s not one of those people that never had time for you or didn’t really listen when people were talking to her; she made you feel like she really cared about what you were saying! Mrs. Simon had a great relationship with everyone; I don’t think there was one student who didn’t love her!

Another thing I really loved about Mrs. Simon is that she shared interests. She was always interested in what you had to say or what you were interested in. She knew my huge obsession with a particular band, Paramore, and we would talk about them all the time! We would talk about their music, concerts, everything. Mrs. Simon genuinely cared about everyone! She could cheer you up if you were down, and she was never mean. I think that is a great quality every teacher should have; no one wants and uninterested, mean teacher.

English was never my favorite subject, but last year it sure was! Mrs. Simon made English fun. It wasn’t just boring work, she interacted with us. My favorite topic that we learned about in English last year was the Holocaust. It was the way Mrs. Simon taught about the Holocaust and explained the events that was unforgettable. I didn’t know much about it before last year, and now I feel like I know so much because she encouraged a real interest in the subject. Also, when we wrote our own words to the melody from the song ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’, it was such a great lesson; I’ll never forget it. Mrs. Simon has a passion for teaching, and it shows. I learned so much in that class that I will carry the lessons always.


Mrs. Simon is a remarkable, interesting, and intelligent teacher. I really wish I still had Mrs. Simon as a teacher, not that I don’t love my other teachers, but she inspired me to learn. Except for missing the bus at the end of the day I think I could have stayed and talked to her forever! Mrs. Simon is a great listener, a great teacher, a motivator…the whole package. I wish we kept in touch more because I don’t know if I’ll find another teacher quite like her. If Mrs. Simon doesn’t deserve to be Educator of the Year, then I don’t know who does.