Most people, when they think of the best teacher in a school, think of the teacher that has the best overall grades throughout all of his or her classes. But, that's not what I think of when I think of a really good teacher. My 7th grade math teacher, Miss Vinton, was the best teacher anyone could have. She always put a smile on my face, was always caring, was always loving, and was always there if you just simply needed to talk. All of those qualities I believe are what make a really good teacher and a candidate for educator of the Year. Even though Miss Vinton was my 7th grade teacher, she student-taught me in 5th grade which just made us close from day one. We created a special bond throughout the school year, and I definitely would not give that up for the world.

Miss Vinton wasn't that one teacher that gives out projects or papers without fully describing them. Even if something was super difficult or confusing, she would not let us leave until we knew what to do, so we weren't stressing over it at our house. One thing that stood out was that she clearly loved her job which made her comfortable with the whole class, and she always put a smile on our faces. No matter what we were doing, she made it fun in some way not just for us but for her . I always looked forward to having her every day during 2nd period, and I never wanted to leave her class when the bell rang. She just had something special in her that made every student love her.

She always put a smile on my face which made me get through my day easier. During the winter of that year, my grandfather was in the hospital and wasn't doing so well. One day they gave him a medicine in his IV, and he had an allergic reaction to it which stopped his heart. He was dead for at least 60 seconds, but thankfully the amazing doctors there shocked his heart a couple times and brought him back . If it wasn't for them acting super fast, he wouldn't be here today. I wasn't the type of person to talk about things like that, so I kind of just kept it inside of me and told no one. She never really knew the whole situation, but the littlest things she did like simple caring made my whole day great. We used to always have these talks after class too, and she could trust me with anything she told me, and I could trust her too. It was nice to just sit down and have a nice talk with someone that I became super close with in just a couple months. We had a love hate relationship which made things fun sometimes; it almost seemed like we were siblings. I’ve looked up to her ever since 7th grade, and I have no idea where I would be without having a person like her.

It's always nice when you can smile and be happy knowing that someone is there for you no matter what. Without a doubt I knew Miss Vinton was there for me no matter what was happening in my life. She treated her students like they were her own children which made everyone happy when they were around her. I literally always smiled when I was around her because she was just that kind of person. Even though I'm in high school and a completely different school, she still sends me emails wondering how I am doing and curious about how I'm doing in school. She has so much support for me and whatever I feel is right for me. She always wants me to come into my old school and visit, but I'm super busy all the time, so it can be hard to squeeze it in sometimes.

A great teacher is one who cares for their students, is willing to sit down and talk to you for hours, and helps you get through the rough times in your life or school. I believe that Miss Vinton deserves to be named Educator of the Year, and I would be thrilled if she was. I don't know where I would be without her today, and I am beyond thankful that I met her. She made my middle school experience the best time throughout the whole time I have been in school. If every teacher was like her, then everyone would love school each and every day.