Sometimes it’s hard to know whether or not a teacher will make an impact on you. Sometimes it’s not. Maybe you’ve had that one teacher that everyone hates, or that one professor who just goes on and on, or maybe you’ve had that teacher that you just don’t understand how they teach. I’ve experienced every single one of these teachers, and I’ve only had a few that don’t fit any of these descriptions. One of those teachers is my ninth grade Naval Science Instructor, Senior Chief McClain.

Senior Chief was someone that you could talk to no matter what. When two of my best friends were having a problem dealing with rumors, I knew exactly who to talk to. Senior Chief and I helped make sure that my friends were ok, and while we never figured out who actually spread that rumor, my best friends were reassured and guided by someone they knew they could trust. Most teachers wouldn’t care about something as petty as a stupid rumor, but Senior Chief made sure they knew that he was always there for them if they had a problem.

Another one of my best friends was having problems at home and wasn’t dealing with the second semester as easily as she dealt with the first. She was forgetting assignments, failing tests, and she was very stressed out. After I talked to her, she decided that she needed to talk to Senior Chief because she was not performing at the level that Senior Chief was expecting her to. He knew exactly how to handle the situation. Now, she’s passing every single one of her classes and is really taking control of her high school career.

Senior Chief hasn’t had an impact on just my friends; he’s also impacted me greatly. He has helped me to become a better leader in my school, and by doing so has helped me to become the highest ranking cadet and tied for first in my class in academics. He has pushed me to strive for more than just success; he has pushed me to go above and beyond. He doesn’t just expect me to be good; he expects me to be excellent, to set the example for every other student in our class. I strive every day to reach and exceed the bar that he has set for me.

I can only hope that my Naval Science Instructors for my sophomore, junior, and senior years will have such an impact on me and inspire me to strive for success. I hope that Senior Chief never loses his ability to make leaders out of those who are willing to work hard. He has helped me see that you have to be yourself and let people see that you have their best interests at heart.

I hope that he never stops doing exactly what he has done for me. I wouldn’t be the leader that I am today without him. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for him. Senior Chief, thank you for everything that you have done for me this year and for inspiring me to exceed the expectations that you have set. You are a true educator of the year and a true role model for every DMA cadet that walks through the front doors. Thank you for all that you do.