When I think of a good teacher, I think of someone with many qualities that benefit their students. Mr. Walker is an outstanding teacher who exhibits of many of these important qualities. He always makes sure his students feel comfortable and puts us first. He also has a fun teaching style that not only makes his class enjoyable but improves our understanding of Civics . It is also very important that a teacher is passionate about their work. I can say without a doubt Mr. Walker goes above these standards and beyond the expectations of a good teacher. 

Going from middle school to high school is a big change. Mr. Walker made this difficult transition a lot easier. His welcoming and easygoing attitude made it a lot less intimidating. Leaving a small school, where I knew everyone and coming to DMA where I barely knew anyone, was scary! Mr. Walker made it easier to walk into a class full of new people by making sure we were all happy and comfortable. We did fun games to get to know each other as well as lessons that consisted of partner work which enabled us to really learn about each other. I have made some great new friends, and I can thank Mr. Walker for this. 

Mr. Walker incorporates many things in his teaching that change the dynamic of our learning. Civics and geography can typically be a boring subject to learn. We do things in his class that engage us and make class more interesting. For example, we do debate league in class. We had an official draft for our teams and jobs assigned for each team member. Each week there is a new topic for us to debate on. We use real world topics such as, legalizing marijuana, increasing minimum wage, and the economic collapse. In addition, every test/quiz we take he makes a leaderboard of the best grades on that test/quiz in class. This makes us more competitive and motivates us to get on the board. Both of these are examples of how he pushes us to work hard on improving our grades. His teaching style drives academics.  

Mr. Walker is very passionate and hardworking when it comes to teaching. He is one of the smartest teachers I have had. He has an answer along with an explanation to every question a student asks. He stays after school multiple times a week to offer extra help with anything we need. If we have a test or quiz that week, he makes sure we have a full understanding and know what to expect on the test so we can succeed. He even met over 20 students at Panera before our midterm this past October. We had fun reviewing things we had learned earlier in the year and he was dedicated to making sure we were prepared. He is very committed to making us the best we can be and is selfless with his time.

When I think of the definition of a good teacher, I think of someone who is knowledgeable about the subject they teach but also teaches how to be confident in every situation. A good teacher teaches in a friendly way and gives students hope that they can achieve anything. Mr. Walker does all these things; he is truly is an amazing teacher. I feel so fortunate to have had Mr. Walker as my civics teacher; I have learned more than I ever could have imagined. This is why I am nominating Mr. Walker for Educator of the Year.