As a freshman in high school, I’ve been taught by many different teachers / instructors, but one that has stood out to me by far is Senior Chief McClain. Senior Chief is a naval science instructor at the Delaware Military Academy; he is one of my favorite teachers that I've ever had. I nominate Senior Chief because there are so many great characteristics that describe him that makes him the amazing person he is. There are so many things that make him stand out from other teachers. Some of those things are that he wants you to always have fun while learning, he wants the best for us when it comes to anything we do, and that he makes it clear to us that we can talk to him if we need advice.

Senior Chief is always trying to make his class as fun as it can be. He realizes that school is stressful, and he is always trying to find a way to relieve the stress if it’s by making a joke or playing games. I have Senior Chief first period every day, and he knows that when we walk into his class on a Monday morning, that we’re all half asleep and don't want to be there. Because of that every Monday morning he has someone come to the front of the class to do our morning joke or dance to wake us up. Even after the morning joke Senior Chief makes jokes throughout the whole class to keep us smiling; sometimes I don't even understand the  jokes though and I just laugh at him cracking up at his own jokes. Senior Chief even finds a way to make learning fun. After working hard at drill he rewards us by playing knockout to put all of the moves we just learned to the test which creates a fun competition throughout the class to win.

Another thing Senior Chief makes very clear to us is that he wants the best for us. Senior Chief pushes us to do our best in everything we will succeed in the future. He teaches us everyday to be leaders whether it's in the classroom, on a sports team, or even in your friend group. Even if we don't understand something in the classroom, he will stay with you and explain everything step-by-step until we fully understand it. He even offers to stay after school for extra help if you need it.

One of the characteristics that Senior Chief has that really makes him stand out is that he makes it clear that you can talk to him about anything you need advice on. Senior Chief makes it very clear that he cares about every single one of his students, and he looks out for every one of them. If he notices that something is making you sad that day, he'll ask you about your day and if you want to talk to you he lets you know he's always there to talk about it and try to help. I quickly knew that if I needed advice I could go to Senior Chief about it, no matter if it’s about school, sports, a fight with a friend, or even boy problems. Even if you’re not having a problem he's constantly asking how I am and is always starting conversations with me and other students. Senior Chief remembers things you've told him a while ago and is constantly checking up on how you’re doing with it. He constantly asks me how softball is going, and he showed genuine excitement when I told him I made varsity which really showed me he cared.

Senior Chief McClain has taught me so many life lessons that I plan to use throughout my whole life. He has so many amazing characteristics that make him stand out from all the other teachers I've had in the past. From his fun classes, to pushing us to do our best in everything we do, and letting us know he's always there for us, Senior Chief is a clear nomination for Educator of the Year.