Samuel Rasmussen
Sometimes in order to connect with your students, you have to engage them as an individual and not a class. I had Mrs. Cane 6th, 7th, and 8th grade years. Despite warnings that she was a strict teacher, she gave me some of the best memories of my middle school career. She introduced me to many different ideas and concepts that have stuck with me and made me who I am. Mrs. Cane is a funny, smart, passionate teacher and she is my choice for Educator of the Year.
Mrs. Cane graduated from the Delaware Military Academy in 2009. She went to The University of Delaware and graduated in 2013. That same year she joined ASPIRA academy. Mrs. Cane quickly gained a reputation as a strict, demanding teacher. I approached her class cautiously, however, I was surprised to find that harsh rumors were not true. Mrs. Cane always approaches her classes with optimism and charm with a lot of creativity mixed in. She makes every lesson enjoyable and always leaves her students with a great experience at the end of class.
Mrs. Cane’s teaching style is very down to earth. She tries to relate every lesson to each student and their individuality. She introduces difficult concepts like the holocaust by relating it to students ethnicities and where they would have been in the holocaust. This can be hard, especially with a subject like social studies, but Mrs. Cane still manages to get it done. She also tries to use fun sources to more actively engage her students. For example, she used the Broadway play “Hamilton” and its soundtrack to engage us.
Mrs. Cane is also the instructor of the QUEST program. QUEST is a program to challenge gifted students with special activities and projects. Projects can include anything from essays to building a playground from scratch. My QUEST class completed the latter, brainstorming, designing, funding, and finally building a playground for our school. We could not have completed this task if it wasn’t for Mrs. Cane. Her guidance was essential, and if it wasn’t for Mrs. Cane, we wouldn’t have completed the project. She helped us get started, motivated us and kept us focused on our goal.
Mrs. Cane deserves this award. She has impacted my life greatly. If it wasn’t for Mrs. Cane I wouldn't have gotten into politics, or geography and history the way I did. Mrs. Cane left me with a desire to explore the politics, relations, problems, and solutions of the world. Mrs. Cane is an innovator in teaching, and many of her students leave with the same lasting impression  I had. She is an educator in every sense of the word and truly deserves the title of Educator of the Year.