Coming into eighth grade, I knew it was going to be amazing. After hearing so many stories about how great the history teacher was, I was ready for an incredible year. Somehow, even after everything I’d heard, Mr. Lingenfelter still surprised me. I never would have expected to learn as much as I did. It never even crossed my mind that I could have fun while learning. I guess when you have a teacher that’s so dedicated to his job, and loves everything about it, it comes easy.

How many times have you almost fallen asleep during school? Think back to all those times when your teacher read word for word from that same text book that they used every single day. Well, that’s how it use to be for me, especially history. History was never my favorite subject. In fact, it was my worst subject… until last year. Mr. Lingenfelter, my 8th grade history teacher, found a way to make learning fun. It was crazy; he had the coolest way of teaching. He refused to use textbooks. Instead, we would act almost everything out. This way, everyone was involved. Mr. L taught in a way where everyone learned. There was never anyone sleeping in his class because he made learning fun. One time we did a reenactment of a court system, and if we lost we had to wear signs around all day. They said things like “Adultery” and “Treason” and it made everything more fun. Another really cool thing we did was “How a bill becomes a law.” Everyone wrote a bill and proposed it to the class, and we voted on if it should become a law or not. Mr. L knew Delaware’s Senator Tom Carper and the top 2 bills got sent to him, and he would write us a letter back. If you think about it, it’s pretty cool to get a personal letter from the Senator of your state. .. even if it is just Delaware.

Mr. Lingenfelter is the most dedicated person I have ever seen. No wonder he’s won “Teacher of the Year” so many times already. He loves his job more than anyone I know. When you have a teacher that just really loves their job, it’s a much more laid back environment and it’s not so much about teaching to get the job done, it’s about teaching because that’s what they love to do. Mr. Lingenfelter tried, to the best of his ability, to teach each and every student as much as he possibly could. He taught us so many things. It wasn’t just history that he taught; he taught us about life in general. He tried to send us all down the right road. I remember how in the middle of class he would just stop and give us these heartfelt speeches about so many important things. Many times he would tell us about drugs and everything, and why we should never do them, and it meant a lot coming from someone that you respected so much. He treated all of us with so much respect, and it was handed back. He was more than just a teacher to us.

One of Mr. Lingenfelter’s best qualities is that he saw potential in everyone. That’s a hard thing to do when you’re dealing with so many different students at one time. But, somehow he managed to find potential in every one, in different ways. Mr. L never gave up on anyone and that really said a lot about his character. If someone struggled at something, it doesn’t matter what it was, he would try his best to help them in any way he could. I never understood how no matter how badly behaved a student was, he never gave up on them. He would tell them how much it meant for them to keep trying, and surprisingly it worked, most of the time. Mr. L turned people’s lives around. He would tell us stories of when he was a kid, and it changed people’s views on so many different things. He had a huge impact on so many peoples’ lives. When he saw just a small improvement on a student, he wouldn’t give up on trying helping them succeed in everything they did. He was just a teacher, but he believed in everyone, and that really meant a lot.

I’ve never had a teacher as great as Mr. Lingenfelter. I don’t think I’ll ever have a teacher as favorable as him. All I can say is that he’ll always be my favorite teacher and one of the most respected people in my life. He’s changed my life, and many other peoples’ lives, as well. It’s hard to put into words how amazing of a teacher Mr. L is. I wish every child would get the chance to have Mr. L as a teacher. If anyone does, he deserves to win Educator of the Year. He is the best!