Educator of the Year

Students have always been told not to pick classes based on the teacher or the friends that were also taking that class. But I broke this rule.
When my brother was in high school, six years ago, he took a class called English 12 with Mr. Freeburg. When I was ten, I heard stories about how Mr. Freeburg was the best teacher. And since then, I have always wanted to be in his class. As it turns out, going to his class was a gift.
Sophomore year, picking classes. I signed up for Mr. Freeburg’s Organization Communications class. Mr. Freeburg -- small, skinny, and unique -- is my teacher of the year. He is energetic, unique, and makes people feel special.
On the first day of class, he promised the class one thing -- if he didn’t have all of our names and faces memorized in exactly one week, he would bring in donuts for the class. This made me realize all teachers set out to memorize our names, but they don’t make it a priority. This is what makes Mr. Freeburg special. One week later, he had all but one name memorized. And he lived up to his promise. I was happy knowing he truly cared about his students.
Every day I would come to class, eager and excited to learn. There was never a dull day. He told us stories about when he was younger, like many teachers do. However, he related his stories to what we were learning. On multiple occasions, he told us stories about meeting with parents and how their nonverbal skills override their verbal skills. He made the class exciting and worthwhile. Who could have thought learning could be this much fun?
There are other ways he made the learning fun. Multiple times throughout the semester he spent his personal money on students. We played bingo in his class to study the vocabulary we had been learning. To encourage us to participate, Mr. Freeburg bought small, random gifts for the students. Some of these included Christmas lights, horse statues, or even basketball clothing. Each of these items encouraged the students to learn and participate.
However, I am not nominating Mr. Freeburg for only the things he does relating to the class. I am also nominating him for his care and compassion. At the end of each week, we take a quiz. In the few minutes left after the quiz, Mr. Freeburg does something called a “weekend roundup,” where he goes around the classroom and allows each student the opportunity to say what plans he/she has for the weekend. He even connects with us when we tell him our plans. He was enthused when students had sports activities, when they attended concerts, and even when the students had jobs. At one point, he promised he would go to a restaurant one of the students worked at. Again, he kept his promise. Although Mr. Freeburg is a generation older than us, he connects with his students like he’s seventeen.
I’m not in his class anymore, but he stills makes an effort to talk to me in the halls. “Schlehlein” with a head nod is his signature greeting for me.
When Mr. Freeburg had a facebook many years ago (he has since deactivated it), he was friends with my dad. My dad started writing a book, and Mr. Freeburg showed interested in it. Mr. Freeburg even brought it up to me years later. Mr. Freeburg pays attention. And he even plans on going to my dad’s book launch party.
I nominate Mr. Freeburg for this award because he is more than just a teacher. He educates students with the curriculum and he educates students with his personality. Mr. Freeburg is more than a teacher. He is a role model. But, more importantly, he is the best teacher I will ever have.