Educator of the Year


There were so many inspirational figures in my middle school years. It was very tough to pick just one of them. I chose my eighth grade teacher Mrs. Tannenbaum. She taught religion and math classes at All Saints Catholic School. She was a fantastic teacher; she was very intelligent and extremely generous.

Mrs. Tannenbaum always put smiles on all of the students’ faces that she taught over the years, including mine. She was one of the most generous people I have ever met. She never yelled at any of her students unless it was completely necessary. She also loved her job and loved coming to school every day, which is what I appreciated most about her. She would also take time out of her busy schedule and help students who were having trouble in school. The most memorable moment I have of her is when she took the time out of religion class and helped with my worksheet when I was having trouble with it.

Mrs. Tannenbaum loved telling fun facts, which proved to be helpful in tests and quizzes last year and even coming into this year. She was also very knowledgeable about current events and up to date things happening in religious news all around the world. She would sometimes play interesting videos from the internet of things she though we should be more aware of. Her favorite kinds of videos were of a little kid named Kid President who would tell a kid’s point of the news. At the end of the year we had to write a letter to ourselves and give it to her and she can send it to us when we are in our junior year of high school. I can’t wait to see mine again.

Mrs. Tannenbaum would also have a fun event or activity planned every once in a while. One time we had to put together a science fair for the second graders. It was a great idea teaching the younger kids about science. Another thing we had to do was that we had to pick all of the weeds and plant new flowers in the garden near the church so it would look nice. I loved doing that because it made the church look even nicer. There was no point during her classes that it was ever boring. She also brought in her little grandchildren to school so they could meet all of the big kids. Mrs. Tannenbaum was one of the best teachers I have ever had, and she made my eighth grade year even more memorable. She was one of the most generous, fun, and intelligent teachers I have ever had.

It was a very tough decision just picking one inspirational figure throughout my middle school years, but I think I made the right decision picking her. She is a great teacher and I think she deserves recognition for that. She has inspired so many kids to do well in school including myself. I hope you like this letter, Mrs. Tannenbaum, and thank-you for being a great inspiration for me. You are without a doubt the best person to nominate for Teen Ink’s Educator of the Year Award.