Mr. Muehls
Coming from elementary school to middle school is a huge step. Middle school can be hard. You’ve got the big, gigantic lockers instead of the tiny, small cubbies, a variety of different classes and teachers, and meeting new people. But moving from out of state to start my middle school career was even harder.
I met plenty of kids and teachers throughout the year. Some I liked and some I didn’t. But one teacher stood out to me: Mr. Muehls. Mr. Muehls is a Special Ed teacher at North Shore Middle School. It wasn’t until eighth grade that I actually started to get to know Mr. Muehls and become good friends with him. He was my home room teacher and every day for 30 minutes, I got to spend time with him.
Mr. Muehls is a very intelligent, intellectual and interesting man. There are many things about Mr. Muehls that make him a great educator. He got me to come out of my shell. For example, when I entered his class my eighth grade year, many of the kids liked to play chess. As I watched and learned, I started to enjoy the game. I later joined chess club, playing on Wednesday nights after school. Mr. Muehls would bring us Ramen Noodles, a choice of soda and sometimes even a cookie. This impacted me in a very positive way. It taught me a great life lesson: I should always try new things.
Mr. Muehls cared about everyone. There were many times where I hadn’t understood something or just didn’t do the work, but Mr. Muehls was always there to help. He took the time to sit down with me person to person or in a small group. He would then proceed to help each and every single one of the students until they fully understood what was being taught.

I am nominating Mr. Muehls for Educator of the Year Award because Mr. Muehls perfectly fits the description. He is passionate about his job and he’s great at helping others become better. His intelligent, intellectual and interesting thoughts make class that much better. He is indeed the most valuable educator and deserves this award more than anyone I know.