Mr.Lingenfelter


I remember walking into my homeroom the first day of eighth grade. The sign said Mr. Lingenfelter, and I remember thinking here goes another year of school and another boring class. I've never been more wrong about anything. The reason it was the best was because of my social studies teacher, Mr. Lingenfelter.

Mr. L never gave up on anyone. No matter how bad of a kid you were or how disrespectful you would be, he would still try to motivate you to do your best. He brings the best out of everyone in class by thinking of creative things to do with the lesson. I remeber one time we were doing the Boston Massacre trial in class. The next day he had the whole room set up like a real court trial. That's one of the many reasons why people liked him, because he knew how to make the lesson fun but still always taught you something.

Mr. L was a great motivator. He was the only teacher that motivated me to do well in school. He told me that it was possible to get the good grades that I wanted. I just had to put the work in, and I did; I got honor roll every marking period that year. Mr. L also had some great speeches. There was one speech that he would tell the class all the time; it was the Mountain Top speech. The speech went " the mountain top is a place where once you get there, that's not enough, you have to be one step ahead of everyone else... once you're on the mountain top, you still have to work hard because everybody else is trying to get your place on the top.. most people sit in the stands and do the watching rather than being the one in the arena performing...the mountain top is a special place for those who want to be the best in life...you have to work hard and stay one step ahead of the competition, who is knocking on your door". I don't think I'll ever forget that speech.

Another reason why I think Mr.L is a great teacher is because he has been through stuff that a lot of kids have been through. He knows how to react to things and he would always tell us stories of how he would try to be a tough guy and all that stuff. But then he turned to nothing with no job, until he found someone that helped him out of the gutter. That man was Joe Carney; he helped him get his life back together and be the best he could ever be. I think that's what he wants to do for everyone else.

I told you how great of a teacher he is; I also told you how creative and fun he is,and how great of a motivator he is and his lectures are. If you ever have trouble with anything, you can always tell him; he always knows what to say, and he can help you out in a heartbeat. He knows the troubles you've been through and will always help you. There is no better candidate for Educator of the Year; he's the absolute best one out there.