North Lake Elementary School filled my mind with memories. I remember the most exciting part: getting to move upstairs by the older kids. Even though I felt nervous, the excitement rose through me. Moving upstairs meant new teachers and new friends. And fifth grade was the year I got to know one if my inspirations—Mrs. Andorfer. She’s tall, and has reddish/brunette hair.

Mrs. Andorfer was my fifth and sixth grade social studies teacher. I never thought of her as just a teacher, though. She was more than that. I have known Mrs. Andorfer since I was little because she’s a family friend. Mrs. A has two kids and a husband and coaches North Lake’s girls volleyball team. She’s the kind of person that does as much as she can. She’s always on the go, keeping herself busy. Her perseverance is what inspires me the most.

When I was going into Mrs. A’s class, it was her first year teaching, so I didn’t know what kind of teacher she was going to be. Although Social Studies has never been my favorite subject, Mrs. A made it fun and interactive. I remember my favorite project: the create a country project. This project put us to the test, showing us that we could put our creativity and knowledge together to create a country. For this project, we created a name, shape, and national anthem for our country. We also made up a population and a map of resources, and provided a detailed description of what our country looked like and explained the country’s laws. Although this project over a month long, Mrs. A was always there to help with whatever we needed to get the project done.

Mrs. A was like a warm cup of hot chocolate on a snowy day—super sweet and makes our day. Her smile lit up your day and she never failed to help out. When I passed by her in the hallway, she always said hello and asked how I was doing. This made all of the students feel like they were important and that they had someone who cared about them and was happy to talk to them. She made sure all her students were okay and if issues occurred, she came in and helped fix them.

My sixth grade year was full of drama. The never ending cycle of mean girls (only on occasion thank goodness) and boy problems. Mrs. A talked us through how we could fix the problem. In the end, this showed us that we’re capable of figuring things out on our own, even if we got a little push at the beginning.

No one word describes Mrs. Andorfer. The passion she shows while teaching is noticeable. She then encourages her students to show that passion. She’s motivated, willing to listen, and inspiring. She is a leader that I want to be one day. I cannot think of a single time Mrs. A has ever let me down. She is a strong current, pushing through life to get where she wants to go. That one new teacher that I liked turned out to be more than just my teacher; she’s my inspiration.