Two words that usually don’t come to mind when you think “Educator of the Year” are Marine and Corps. This is where Gunny, or Gunnery Sergeant Robert Lemke, spent many of his years before becoming a Naval Science teacher at the Delaware Military Academy. I don’t think that there’s any teacher or instructor I’ve ever had that can be as interesting as Gunny, and there is much evidence to back that statement up. Listen up, and that’s an order.


First off, Gunny is very intelligent, and he knows what he is talking about when teaching. Gunny has over 20 years of service in the Marine Corps and is the rank of Gunnery Sergeant, E-7, hence the name Gunny. Gunny has been to many countries including Japan, Australia, Thailand and more. The fact that he has over 20 years of experience in the military and has been to many countries is extraordinary and means he is very intelligent on world and military knowledge. He even has many entertaining stories that he tells us, like how in Japan he saw a Harrier jet fly up from behind a house to scare away protesters surrounding the base.


Secondly, Gunny knows how to keep his cadets in check; he makes sure they all have discipline and respect. Gunny was once a drill instructor at Parris Island, a Marine Corps base and boot camp for new recruits. Being a drill instructor, he barked orders all day long, and he kept recruits busy with physical training, or as he likes to call it, the dreaded PT. At the sound of these two letters everyone becomes dead quiet. If you disobey the rules, don’t think that you aren’t going to get caught. Gunny has eyes like a hawk, and he will spot you in seconds and single you out. All you can do is pray that he won’t give you push ups.


Lastly, Gunny is a very funny teacher; he is always in a good mood. Many of us question him about how he is wide awake in the morning and always in a good mood. He always answers, “as long as I wake up in the morning, I’m in a good mood.” Gunny likes to call rain, “liquid sunshine,” and says it’s great to go PT or march in that. Another thing that makes Gunny humorous is he likes to bet with us about answers to questions or other things. The bet has two outcomes; he wins, and you have to do push ups, or you chicken out, and you end up right in the end. Either way he still wins, kind of.


These are just some reasons why Gunny should win Educator of the Year. I could tell you more, but then this essay would turn into a book. Gunny is a funny instructor who is very good at his job; he knows when to be serious and when to joke around. He makes sure that you know what we’re learning about so that you have no excuse to not have done your work. I can easily say that he created the best memories I had during freshman year, and I will definitely try to be his platoon aide as a senior. This is why I chose Gunnery Sergeant Robert Lemke for Educator of the Year.