We tried not to notice Mr. Valdes’ diminutive size as we walked into his science class on the first day of eighth grade. After everyone found a seat Mr. Valdes went to the front of the classroom. Everyone was sitting up straight to see what he was doing. All of a sudden Mr. Valdes jumped up on top of the desk because he couldn’t reach the board! The entire class was cracking up. We weren’t laughing our heads off to be rude or because the fact that he was short. We were laughing because we couldn’t believe a teacher was walking all over the desk like it was just a normal thing. I’m pretty sure this was Mr. Valdes’ way of breaking the ice.

Since that day I knew science would become one of my favorite subjects, and I was right. Every experiment we did in his class was fun and exciting. For example, one day we did an experiment where Mr. Valdes lit a water jug on fire and it flew across the room! Even if we didn’t do experiments Mr. Valdes would find a way to make the lesson fun. Mr. Valdes just had a way of making things cool, fun, and interesting.

Mr. Valdes wasn’t just an amazing teacher. He was an outstanding person and role model. He had a way of connecting with the students, and I respected him for that. Mr. Valdes was the kind of teacher you could go to if you had a problem or just needed someone to talk to. Many teachers don’t even care about you or your problems but Mr. Valdes wasn’t like that at all.

Not only that, but Mr. Valdes had had the most massive personality I have ever seen. He was always loud and energetic and always tried to fill the room with excitement. I also remember Mr. Valdes was definitely a morning person. He would always show up to class singing and with a big smile on his face. Mr. Valdes will always be a teacher that I will remember no matter where I go in life because of his remarkable personality, his teaching skills, and his caring attitude towards his students.