“Be like Nike and ‘Just Do It.’” It was my first day of Business Technology class in 6th grade and I was petrified. Everyone said she was one of the hardest teachers in my school at the time, and now I knew what everyone was talking about. Her name was Mrs. Foxwell, and she was the most determined person to succeed at everything she did. She told us by the day we graduate 8th grade, in her class we could have made various Microsoft PowerPoints, be at the top of our typing game, create our own business and put on a networking event, and have a real-life stimulation of a job interview. She was absolutely right. She was the educator that has taught me the absolute most and taught me to be at the top of my game no matter how big or how small the task is.

Mrs. Foxwell taught us all about businesses and what it is like to be in the ‘Business World’. She had real life experiences because before she came to be a teacher, she worked for a big company and was high in the chain of command. As soon as you would walk into her extremely decorated classroom, it was like you were grown up and in the real world. She never treated us like kids, she always treated us as if we were adults. She had a great personality, very helping and always caring. Her motto was to be like Nike and “Just Do It.” This meant that there was no use complaining about anything because one way or another, it had to be done. If you had to accomplish a task, you might as well have fun with it because there is nothing you could have done to prevent it. She must have repeated this phrase multiple times during the class period and it really was a motivator to us.

Mrs. Foxwell had so many great experiences, in a way she was like a therapist or a life coach. She was there for anyone and everyone. If someone had an issue, whether it was at home or with a friend or struggling with grades, she would sit down with them and listen to them. She would let them go on for however long they needed to, and then she would give her advice. Let me tell you what, her advice was always right on point. There was never a time when she wouldn’t help someone when she had the opportunity. She always jumped on it and did everything in her power to make it better.

Every class period, we did so much work! Mrs. Foxwell always ran the class so smoothly. There was never a moment when we just sat there. There was always something productive to do, and if not then she would give us a task. “Use your time wisely” was another quote that was used frequently in her class. Whether if it was doing the assignment, or practicing our typing, there was always something to do. At the beginning of each month, each class had a contest called “Typing to the Top.” It was to determine who was the quickest and most diligent typer with the fewest mistakes. We weren’t allowed to look at the keyboard, so she would put a piece of construction paper on top of our hands, and the winner got their name posted on a corkboard in the classroom.

In my opinion, Business Technology with Mrs. Foxwell was the class that I feel I will use forever. She taught me so much in the months I had her as a teacher. She would work with absolutely anyone and never complained. She taught us how to write checks, pay bills, be successful in a job interview, dress to impress, work well under pressure, and to most importantly ‘Just Do It.’ I felt like I was ready and well prepared for the real world. Mrs. Foxwell had a great impact on my life and her class is a class I will never forget! I hope that one day I can make a difference in someone’s life like she did for me. This is why I feel Mrs. Foxwell deserves to be the 2014 Educator of the Year.