It’s never been easy to give speeches or presentations--much less talk in front of the class. But that changed after I had Mrs. Carnell for my freshman, sophomore, and junior year English classes. I’ve had great teachers, but there was a kindness about Mrs. Carnell that made her my favorite teacher.

Mrs. Carnell was the nicest, most caring, and understanding teacher I have ever had. She was easy to talk to and she was accepting. She once told our class, she had students who ended up in prison. It showed us that she would always look at the good in everyone. She also told our class how her dream was to open up a homeless shelter after working here at Arrowhead. I thought that was amazing. Considering I thought she was the nicest person, it made me realize I didn’t have to do perfect on presentations. Whether my presentation was the greatest or worst, I knew she would be there to help and not judge.

She was as kind as a hovering dove which is why she’s my favorite teacher. She made me feel comfortable to give speeches and presentations by just simply listening and giving advice on how to make the presentation better. She would give examples and give us time to prepare for our presentations or speeches. When presenting, she would be engaged in what I was presenting, so I felt good about what I was presenting or giving a speech about. When I would give speeches and presentations, I could feel my face burn. I would look at my hands and they would shake. I could hear my voice all shaky and I would mispronounce words because I was nervous. But I’m happy Mrs. Carnell was able to calm my nervousness.

During class, she made learning interesting. She would engage me in what we were learning by sharing a story that happened in her past. She told us about when she was little, her father cut his finger off at their farm. I loved hearing all her interesting, and funny stories. This helped keep me engaged and my attention on her.

After taking her class, I became better at presenting, giving speeches, and talking. I now give speeches and presentations in a more relaxed fashion and I feel more confident doing it (even though my face still gets red). For that, I thank Mrs. Carnell. I’m sure if she helped me become better at speeches and presentations, I guarantee she helped someone else as well. Mrs. Carnell earned the spot for being the best teacher for her hard teaching and her caring heart.