Mrs. Otley was my older sister’s math teacher at H.B. DuPont Middle School in Hockessin, DE. She was also my math teacher in my 7th grade year at H.B. DuPont Middle School. I think the Educator of the year award should go to Mrs. Otley for several reasons. First of all, she makes learning fun. In addition, she is selfless with regard to her personal time, and finally she has the ability to foster self confidence in all of her students.

She made learning fun in many ways. One particular way she made learning fun was by having us complete interesting projects. We constructed gingerbread houses using geometry. We learned there were different types of triangles. Another project we did involved graphing. We drew and illustrated haunted houses using coordinate points. Mrs. Otley motivated us so we wanted to do our best. Another motivator was during DCAS. If each student in the class improved their DCAS scores, we had an ice-cream party. Finally, she threw a waffle party at the end of the year if everyone always did their homework.

Mrs. Otley was very selfless. We were allowed to go to her class during our lunch period to receive help with our homework or to get help before an upcoming test or quiz. We could go to her to talk about family, friends, problems and interesting things such as baseball. She also put aside her own time so anyone could stay after school to get help with homework. She did this even though she was very busy and had a daughter of her own. Mrs. Otley was always available to parents in person, on the phone, or by email at any time of the day or night.

Mrs. Otley had the ability to foster self-confidence. She was patient. If we didn’t understand a problem, she would explain it to us repeatedly in many different ways until we fully understood the concept. If someone did not understand the concept after she explained it multiple times, she would never become annoyed at him or her. She just wanted all of her students to try their best and was so happy when they finally understood the math concept. In addition, the aura in her classroom had a welcoming feel to it. She had a great deal of positive energy; it was contagious.

In conclusion, Mrs. Otley really makes learning fun. She is selfless and has the ability to foster self confidence in all of her students. These are just a few reasons why she should be given the 2013 Educator of the Year Award.