“Attentionnnn on deck!” starts off another class period as Mr. O’kneski prances into the room. The class day starts the same way every day, but never on the same subject. Mr. O’Kneski teaches Civics at the Delaware Military Academy and could not be a more interesting, intelligent and enjoyable teacher to have. Mr. O, as we call him, is dedicated to helping students and educating young minds in the fields of government, the constitution and other related matters. Mr. O’Kneski is my nomination for Educator of the Year because of his enthusiasm and immense ability to make classes enjoyable and educational.

Every class day starts with the same basic routine, yet Mr. O is always able to incorporate new and interesting events to each piece. In many classrooms, you will find a class day starts with a lesson and ends with the homework, and there couldn’t be a less interesting way to do it. In Mr. O’s class, everyday starts off with a current event from “the BBC”, a news source that he finds to be quite unbiased. Mr. O always starts off with what’s important in the news today, then leads a classroom discussion on several videos he’ll show that will range from the situation in Syria, to the election of a new pope. Mr. O not only understands that a good knowledge of government requires a knowledge of international events, but so does being a good citizen, one of the key elements that the Delaware Military Academy tries to promote.

Many classroom educators lose the attention of their students quickly, and at that point, nothing they’re saying is getting through any more. However, Mr. O is entirely different. Mr. O keeps class time fun all day by knowing when to crack a joke and exactly when to be serious. He keeps the lessons interesting by not only relating them to our lives, but by asking challenging questions that get children to make high level thinking connections. Through the use of his personal experiences and our own, he finds a good way to make connections to each of our lives through the lessons while still keeping them funny and enjoyable. That, to me, is a key quality in any successful teacher and leaves a bigger mark on a student than any other form of educating.

When a student goes into a classroom, the highest expectation of anyone is that the student will learn something. Mr. O takes learning to a new level with his advanced knowledge of Government, Politics, World Events and Geography, and has taught for many years in many different classes. Not only is he willing to assist students who need help or who have questions, but he takes steps to pay attention to students, and he asks if something’s wrong if their attitude or behavior is different. Mr. O may pretend to get many of the student’s name’s wrong to be funny, but deep down he cares about each and every one of us.

Funny, Educational, Intelligent and Helpful, Mr. O’Kneski is one of my favorite teachers I’ve ever had over my school career. By making subjects and lessons fun, connecting them to us, and keeping close tabs on all his students, he’s able to create an educational and safe classroom environment while making everything funny and enjoyable. Mr. O’Kneski is by far one of the best teachers I could imagine having and leaves one of the biggest impacts. Because of this, John O’Kneski is my nomination for Educator of the Year.