If there was one thing I always dreaded, it was school and starting my freshman year made it even more dreadful. I was walking to my classes, I could feel my stomach churning with anticipation. So many thoughts ran through my mind; would I like my teachers? Are they going to be mean? All those thoughts disappeared when I walked into Naval Science. The man greeted the class with a smile and a loud, “How are you all doing today!”. The other kids looked around nervously before answering with a quiet “Good sir”. We soon learned that his name was Senior Chief McClain.

As we got further into the year, I realized that class never seemed to be boring. Whenever he could, he would tell jokes or poke fun at students. While he makes class fun, Senior Chief also makes sure we’re on task and getting our work done.

During drill, Senior Chief always helped us learn how to say and execute the commands properly. If we mess up, he stops the platoon and corrects us, showing the platoon how to do it the right way. While drill can be pretty dreadful, it’s also beneficial. When the platoon gets frustrated, Senior Chief reminds us that executing and performing the commands correctly will help us reach a higher rank; it seems to motivate us to try harder.
Whenever he can, Senior Chief tells stories about things that happened in his life. From military stories, to stories about him and his friends and family. His stories are always funny and interesting and always seem to entertain the class. In order to keep us engaged with the lesson and the conversation, he would let other students share their stories.

Senior Chief McClain once told the class, “No matter what happens, you’ll always start the year off with all my trust in you. Don’t break that trust”. I think that Senior Chief McClain should be Educator of the Year because his teaching style and interesting personality keep his students on their feet and waiting for something funny or crazy to come out of his mouth. He should also be Educator of the Year because he is always there for his students when they need to talk, and he shows all his students that no matter what, learning can be fun.