High School Winner
The words on the pages came alive as Mrs. Madeline Captain, fifth grade English and reading teacher at Art Goad Intermediate, read aloud from one of her favorite books. Mrs. Captain creatively encourages her class to learn. Supporting her students as they learn tedious details of grammar, she mixes learning with fun. Teaching by example, she is respectful to others and requires respect for herself.
Books were never boring when Mrs. Captain read them to us. She always found creative ways to make them more exciting. When she read us the book The Cay, she spoke with a Jamaican accent to make the main character seem more real. She brought us coconuts to give us a taste of the tropical islands. After she read Tuck Everlasting, she allowed us to watch the movie as she made flap-jack pancakes like the characters in the book ate. Mrs. Captain utilized her creativity making the books she read to us standout forever in our minds.
A simple gesture, such as a kind word or a gentle pat, is a daily part of Mrs. Captain’s teaching style. Involved in FCA leadership and the Chelsea Booster Club, she shows her support of her students and her school, both in and out of the classroom. She patiently lends an extra hand to a struggling student; while at the same time challenging a more advanced student reach for their goals. Once, after one of her fifth grade student’s home burned down, she personally organized a clothing and food drive for that family. Mrs. Captain’s students know that they can always count on her.
Mrs. Captain is attentive and courteous to her coworkers and students. Without raising her voice, she maintains an orderly and quiet classroom. She continually shows respect to her students, and in turn they gradually learn to respect her and others. Some students enter Mrs. Captain’s classroom with little or no self-respect, but by the end of the year she has shown them how to respect themselves.
Creative, supportive, and respectful are just a few of the adjectives (yes, I learned about adjectives from Mrs. Captain) that describe my favorite teacher. She goes far beyond the basic curriculum, adding her own special touch to each lesson. So whether it is spending time after class to review an assignment, or making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a student who forgot their lunch, Mrs. Captain gives 100 percent when it comes to teaching. She is my pick for the best teacher ever.
Middle School Winner
Why I Like My Teacher
By: Mariah Ritchie, 7th Grade Foyil Public School
I like Mrs. Bell, my English teacher, because she is funny and makes everyone laugh in class. She loves to make her classes happy. She tells you her life stories of her and her two kids which are hilarious. She loves to mess with her students in her class hour. She gets angry if you tell her no or disrespect her. She loves for kids to turn in their work and not take zeros. She gets pretty mad when you don’t do your homework or makeup work. She loves for you to make good grades.
She loves to help you on homework if you need help. She helps with any subject and she is like the only teacher that helps with different subjects besides hers. She explains lessons more than others and doesn’t move on unless everyone gets it. She gives us plenty of work and tests. She lets us have free time sometimes if we are good. She lets us do extra credit essays to get our grades up if we need them up. She loves to see her class happy every morning, but it you aren’t happy, she will make you happy somehow.
Mrs. Bell is funny when holidays come around, because she dresses crazy on holidays. She dressed like a witch one year on Halloween and made a wart on her nose. She is crazy. She wore red cat eyes when she taught 4th grade on Halloween. She loves to act goofy sometimes. Like dance or sing to make everyone laugh. She loves to see blood or something to be cut open. It’s gross.
Mrs. Bell loves to watch sports, like football and basketball. She likes to cheer her team on and yell at them if they need it. She knows a lot for a girl for football. She tells her team good job after every game or gives them a pat on the back. She tells them that if they win or lose their football game or basketball game to keep trying and not give up yet to try their best. And that she is very proud of them.
That’s why I like Mrs. Bell.