A teacher is “a person who teaches or instructs, especially as a profession; instructor.” Sounds legitimate. Although, a great teacher is someone who goes beyond and creates a more inviting environment. Mr. Dinkeloo deserves to be educator of the year because he taught me more about life than anything else. As my soccer coach, he gave inspiring speeches and great motivational tips to persevere through hardship. Luckily, he was also my seventh grade social studies teacher, therefore I could see both sides of him.

Mr. D always filled the room with positive energy and good vibes. Every morning he had a “thought of the day” and every Friday he had something called “freestyle friday” where he rapped about current events. Even the boring stuff like powerpoints were very resourceful and easygoing. We covered South America, geography, and marketing in his class- all of which we are currently studying in high school. It seemed easy then, but now it's like my abcs. It was obvious he cared too. When it was nice out he took us outside and once we finished work we just talked as a class.

Although, he was really strict when it came to soccer. That turned out to be a good thing. Before Mr. D trained me, I was one of those premature couch potatoes, and as the season progressed,I evolved into what I am now. Since I was on the team previously I thought I had special privileges. However, I learned hard work gave me those privileges. He didn’t care how good you were. He just wanted hardworking student-athletes. At practices, focus was mandatory because otherwise, we ran the three mile-long treeline. This is where I received all of my discipline training because I had to commit myself to the team.

By the end of the year I was the captain for the soccer team and a role model for the younger players. I needed to get out of my comfort zone a little bit, but it was all worth it. I got to try new things and, as a result, I started challenging myself and starting my life. I was taught a wide variety of things in the classroom, on the field, and in life. I found new perspectives and brought myself to a more realistic reality.

He was also someone I could connect with and talk to if I needed to. He was the representative for our teachers so he knew how to handle situations. He coached lacrosse for high school and I played lacrosse, so we had something to talk about. Plus, he made a lot of jokes,which kept the class rolling smoothly. I would say he's the educator of the year because he keeps entertaining while being an overall effective coach.