Educator of the Year (Nominee, Mr. Veit)
“Hello, students! My name is Mr. Veit and I’ll tell you a few things about myself. I’m bold, brave, and like an eagle, people flock from all over the country to take pictures of me.” My middle school teacher, Mr. Veit, is a funny, energetic, hardworking man who always knows how to brighten up everyone’s day. His teaching styles differ from most other’s and he always seems to know how to find the positive sides of everything. You’ll never leave his classroom without a smile on your face at least ten feet wide. For me and many others who’ve had the pleasure of having Mr. Veit as their 8th grade English teacher, we will all say the same.

When you walk into the classroom, you will always be able to expect a witty and humorous quote written across the white board. Mr. Veit has written at least one hundred different quotes that never cease to tickle your funny bone. This shows that with creativity and humor, any teacher can grasp the attention of students and allow them to embrace learning at a whole new perspective. In this particular English class, you are actively engaged in hands-on activities and multiple group discussions. This allows the students to feel like they have a voice and are a major contribution to the classroom.

We’ve all had those days where we walk into school, plop down into our chairs, and expect to sleep the entire first block. Fortunately, this is not the case for Mr. Veit’s classroom! When you walk through the doors, a burst of energy hits you like a gust of wind, and with the teacher’s extravagant smile you feel right at home. The students would eagerly take out their pencils to begin scribbling away at the newest addition to our journal. This activity was designed to get our creative juices flowing. Either informative, silly, or even writing about dodge ball, you’d always know something new and exciting was in store.

Although Mr. Veit’s English class was fun and happy, that certainly does not mean we didn’t work hard! We were always encouraged to study our vocabulary and literary terms as well as finishing homework. Every student had something to do. Whether it be scribbling inside of our notebooks, to reading long stories out of our textbook, we always had new topics to touch over. Unlike many other teachers however, learning was an extremely fun and wonderful experience. Creative free writing was a big activity that all students were encouraged to explore.

With creative free writing, students are always able to express their emotions and thoughts down onto their papers. The topics we could touch over were absolutely endless! Never once did I feel bored in Mr. Veit’s classroom, and that is a truly wonderful thing. With outstanding effort, energy, and big smiles, the classroom served to be a place of solace for me. I’ve even asked many of my old classmates, and they feel the same way. This is why I believe that Mr. Glenn Veit should win the 2014 Educator of the Year Award.