Hmm, trying to rack my brain for an example of a good teacher is not the easiest task. Teachers have a tendency to not like me, due to my outlandish dress and bold points of view. The one teacher that I did find particularly inspiring was Ms. J.

Being a senior, my priorities had shifted. I often found high school unimaginative and referred to it as a temporary holding cell until my obligations as a student were complete. Upon entering Ms. J’s classroom I didn’t expect to take a huge interest in the class. I wore the same indifferent expression in her class as I had in my previous classes and took a seat in the front, next to a girlfriend. I quickly became intrigued by Ms. J’s unique teaching style. She expressed such a distinct personality, that it was hard not to like her. She was loud and obnoxious, but in a way that was charming. She would present the assignment and provide examples that I was able to look at and use as a guideline for the assignment, which I found to be extremely helpful. She took a real interest in her students and was inquisitive about the manifested meaning in our writing, which allowed for students to really open up about past experiences and stories. She preached the importance of writing a paper that only we could write and the key ingredient to a successful paper, originality.

Ms. J went to enormous efforts to showcase the work of her students by entering papers in to competitions and prize drawings. She wanted us to feel like our writing was purposeful and that we weren’t simply writing nonsense for the sake of a grade mark. Deadlines and pointless assignments were not to be found in Ms. J’s curriculum. She offered purpose to each and every assignment and was a strong endorser of creativity, making the classroom environment extremely inviting and pleasant to work in. Her boisterous presence and crude humor are what makes her extremely unique. She is a beautiful writer, and is very good at her job. I admire this woman as a person and as an educator. Ms. J referred to herself on one occasion as “Mother Duckling.” A title that is well deserved and true of the maternal sense she feels towards her students, as well as the role she plays in our life as a mentor. We were her little chicks, eagerly following our leader with love and respect.