Originality Statement: Coach Smith, Football and Weights coach, Maranatha Academy

Coach Smith

When it was still dark and everyone was still in bed, he was up to coach us. He made sure we did everything right and worked hard so we could get the best benefit from lifting. He taught us valuable life lessons, too. With his coaching, we got in shape and became quicker and stronger. The cold feel of the weights and the always buzzing radio became a regular part of the mornings with Coach Smith. He taught us the way things are supposed to be. Respect authority; never cut corners. He taught us good principles like these. He was a good example to us and taught us to do things right and never quit. He took no less than the best to be given every time. No excuse would change his mind; he knew it could be done and would push until the goal was reached and even go beyond that. He was always encouraging but pushed for hard work and improvement. Getting up early to lift weights with him was always looked forward to and he made it fun. He was an amazing coach, and I will never forget the things I learned from him. All of these qualities that he showed are why I chose to write about him as the educator of the year.