My seventh grade year I walked into my math class, preparing for the year ahead of me. I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, didn’t know if I’d have a teacher that I liked, or a teacher that I disliked. I turned the corner of the hallway that led down to his class, and I saw Mr. Craig Meredith. Skip ahead to next year, and he was on my schedule again; and I was excited to start another year with Mr. Meredith. Over the last two years of my middle school career, I never would’ve thought that a teacher could stand out as a role model to me.

I’ve had many coaches and teachers throughout my life, but Mr. Meredith is one of the most memorable. Sitting in his math class, I learned a different way of thinking; I learned how to look beyond. One way he taught us to think was by showing us how math went beyond just the classroom. That math was used everyday in life. Mr. Meredith also taught me that every good mathematician thinks beyond the problem; you have to see more than just the numbers and use your mind, not just your eyes.
  

He didn’t only teach me how to be a good mathematician, but also how to be a good chess player. As our elective class going into my eighth grade year, I chose to be in the Chess Club for my fourth marking period. When I first went into the class, I didn’t know a single thing about chess. In fact, I couldn’t even name the pieces on the chess board. Mr. Meredith was determined to make every student better at the game of chess. Not only did I learn how to play the game, I used my learning tools from math class, and I studied the game and got better. It was because of this determination from him, I became the second ranked player in the class.
  

I’ve never seen a teacher move more students than Mr. Meredith has. I never have seen a classroom so eager to learn math, like Mr. Meredith’s class was. He always brought energy to the class, either with his interesting problems, or his intriguing lessons about some theorem we had never heard before. No matter the circumstances, Mr. Meredith never took a day off of learning and never ceased to teach us something new. He really is the frontrunner for good teachers.
  

I’ve had many teachers in my life, but Mr. Meredith is a teacher that I will remember for the rest of my life. He taught me different ways to think and how you should work towards solutions. He has impacted my life with his ways of teaching, and I want to be able to teach my kids and others like he has. This is why I nominate Mr. Craig Meredith as the Educator of the Year.