There is always the one teacher who changes your perspective on your school years. The teachers that you can’t wait to see every day and always walk into their class with a smile. Mrs. Michelle Morton, 8th grade English teacher at Cab Calloway School of the Arts, is that person for me.

Throughout my 8th grade year, there was never a dull moment with Mrs. Morton. Every other day when I had her class, she would always remind us that today is going to be a great day, and there is always a reason to be happy. I still remember Mrs. Morton telling us that “it doesn’t kill to be kind”, and still to this day I live by those words.

I was not sure what to expect going into 8th grade year; all I heard was that the teachers were boring and gave too much work. I walked into Mrs. Morton’s class, and she immediately made us feel like we belonged. She always had music playing, and she could never seem to sit down...seriously. Mrs. Morton did not have a desk; she decided to stand at her computer because sitting is not good for you. Because of her habit to always be moving, she made us join along. About every 30 minutes she would make us all stand up and either dance, run around or even do yoga; she called this “brain breaks”. One of my favorite memories with Mrs. Morton is our 8th grade graduation. As each teacher stood at the microphone saying their goodbyes, Mrs. Morton got to the microphone and told all 150 of us to stand up and join along with her and do a brain break dance. Mrs. Morton knew it was an emotional event, yet she still made us get up and dance around, which for sure put a smile on all our faces.

Mrs. Morton always had a lesson planned for the day, and with every lesson came a fun activity. We would always either be dancing, walking or running around outside, or even doing yoga. Mrs. Morton always knew how to teach the lessons perfectly so they could stick in our brains. We also always had lots of group work whether is was pairs or a giant table with 7 other people. She made sure to always put us with different people so we could make new friends and build on our own individual ideas. During my time being an 8th grader, Mrs. Morton became Dr. Morton! This shows how hardworking and determined she was even when she worked everyday, and she made sure she took care of her family too. It was such a inspiration seeing Mrs. Morton reach this goal of hers. Although now having the title Doctor in front of her name, she never wanted to be called it, yet we still did because it sounds cool, right?

I can barely put into words how much Mrs. Morton changed me into the person I am today. She taught me not only about English, but how to be a better, healthier, happier, stress-free person. Mrs. Morton seemed like nothing ever bothered her and she was so stress-free every day. As soon as I heard about this contest, I immediately thought of Mrs. Morton. When my mind immediately went to her, I knew she really had a huge impact on me life. 8th grade was a year to remember because of Mrs. Morton. I do not remember anything negative about the school year or how stressed I was; all I remember was being happy every time I walked through Mrs. Morton’s door and feeling like nothing negative in the world mattered.

I believe Mrs. Morton should be selected for Educator of the Year because of her amazing personality, soul, and ability to change students’ lives forever. I want to say thank you to Mrs. Morton for truly creating my happiness, and changing me into the person I am today. I am so incredibly thankful for Mrs. Morton and what she does.