Educator of the Year Nomination
Mrs. O’Brien-Roache


I Nominate Mrs. OBR

The dictionary definition of an educator is “a person or thing that educates, especially a teacher or other person involved in planning or directing education.” To me, the person I chose to nominate is more than that, much more. Even though I only had the privilege of having her as my teacher for my eighth grade year, I am still grateful. She taught me writing tips and studying habits that I will use my entire educational career. She definitely knew how to get through to me in a way that other teachers did not. Her name was Mrs. O’Brien-Roache, students called her “Mrs. OBR” for short. She is my favorite teacher for sure, and that probably won’t ever change; she had a huge impact on my learning experience.

The first way Mrs. OBR stood out to me more than my other teachers is the way she communicates with us. She always used a respectful tone and never got mad. I don’t really know how she did that, but that’s what impressed me. She kept her cool even when we were acting obnoxious and loud. I always had the most respect for her; I may not have showed it at times but I always looked up to her. That is just one of the many reasons I chose to nominate her.


Another reason I chose my eighth grade English teacher, Mrs. OBR, is because she related vocabulary and lessons to real life. I can honestly say that I remember her stories that she told about each vocabulary word. That was one of my favorite parts of English class. She would make them funny which immediately got my attention, and I used them during the vocabulary test. I feel like she challenged me perfectly every day. I always looked forward to that class. She also made sure we understood everything before moving on, and she never rushed us on completing writing assignments. That is probably the most helpful thing a teacher could do in my opinion.

Mrs. OBR is an overall great person. She is a good person and an all-around bright spirit. Every time I walked into her class, she greeted me with a smile. She was always positive, even on a bad day that was always something I admired about her the most. She always had something uplifting to say. I felt like if I ever needed her, I could go to her and trust her. She was the best teacher I could ask for.

I chose my English teacher for obvious reasons. She knew how to communicate and get through to us in a respectful way without raising her voice. Which I am sure wasn’t always easy. She applied vocabulary and other concepts to real life situations, and her stories were always entertaining. Finally, she was always positive. That is hard for me to do, but I try because I had a great example. There are so many other reasons that I could go on forever. Mrs. OBR affected my learning experience in the most positive way possible; I am forever grateful for everything she did for me, so I nominated her for Teen Ink’s Educator of the Year Award.