Teen Ink Educator of the Year: Mr. Gordon


In my opinion, my 7th grade history teacher is one of my best teachers. Mr. Gordon of Abiqua Middle School in Salem, Oregon is one of those teachers that encourages you to think outside the box and strive to expand your knowledge. I think one of the best things about his teaching is how well he knows the material, some history teachers just give you a history book and make you take Cornell notes on the chapters; but Mr. Gordon knows what he is teaching inside and out, he incorporates the history lessons into projects the class enjoys, relates the events in our history to present day events, and improves our writing and speech skills by having us present what we learn in a essay, speech, or a PowerPoint.

Another thing I enjoyed about his class was that he passes out the daily newspaper and gave us about 10 minutes to read it over and then we had a class discussion. Some of us read the cover stories, while some read the sports, and of course some read cartoons. I think no matter what we read, it got us to think and talk about current events and give our opinions on controversies. Also, if we ever struggled on an assignment, we could always email him and his response was typically pretty quick.

He takes the school (well since Abiqua middle school has a total of about 40 students) on a rafting trip on the Deschutes River in September. This is a really fun activity because not only do we all get to have a blast and an adventure, but also gives the new students or sixth graders a chance to get to know and bond with the other students.

All in all, I believe Mr.Gordons love for teaching and history itself are the reasons why I learned so much. Other than his teaching, his great sense of humor and sarcasm are reasons why students like him, and look forward to his class. An old Albert Einstein quote sums it all up, "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." That is exactly why Mr. Gordon is a Teen Ink Educator of the Year.

"This will certify that the above work is completely original, Claire Larson."


Nominated Educator: Dan Gordon