I feel, when you’re a teacher, you don’t only have to teach, but you should always have a strong bond with your students. Although many teachers do this, I find one teacher I had really exceeded with this task. My former 6th-8th grade dean Mr. Broadway; he was not only a great dean, but he was always that shoulder I could lean on when no one was there. He was almost like a friend to me, but not to the point he didn’t discipline me. He was there for us when we needed him, but hard on us when he needed to be.

One thing I can say forever about Mr. Broadway is that his loyalty never changed. He would never talk behind your back, and he would always let you know if you were wrong or right. Another thing I can say about him is that he was very dependable. Anytime I had something holding me back in life or just something I needed to talk about, he was always there. I can say he is very trustworthy. I would tell him so much, and we would have talks about whatever whether it was sports or real- life situations, he listened.

Mr. Broadway was impartial; he believed that everyone should be treated equally. He was also very patient; if someone got in trouble, he would let them explain themselves before he would go straight to a write up. Everyone knows that Mr. Broadway was very funny; he always had a joke ready to be told. I remember one joke he would always say when he would miss a day. He would say “My boss told me to have a good day….so I went home”.

Hard worker is a word that he lives by, and he showed us that every day. He always gave 110% in everything he did whether it was school related or whatever it was. He was also smart. I would ask him a math question, and he would answer it in like 30 seconds with no doubt in his mind. Out of everything the most he was very motivational to me. He always kept me going, and if I got in trouble for something, he would always remind me of my purpose in life and where I wanted to be in the future. He would say “Don’t forget about me! When you make it, I want tickets to all of your games, but remember school is first,” and that has always stuck with me.

In conclusion, Mr. Broadway was not only a great dean, but also someone I knew I could go to when things got hard. He cares for his “kids” as he calls us and would never tell us anything to hurt us. I’m thankful for everything he has done for me, and I know deep down in my heart he was an inspirational person in my life. He deserves nothing but the best. For these reasons and more, he’s my choice for Teen Ink’s Educator of the Year.