26 ■ Palladium-Item ■ Sunday, May 29, 2011 Kristin Elmore, Grade 7 – Mr. Briggs, Union County Middle School
I have the most amazing science teacher in the whole entire universe! I think he is a good teacher because he is not too strict on us. Also, he’s not like Mr. Nice Guy either. I think he is one of the most outstanding teachers in the world. Throughout all the schools I’ve went to, he is my favorite teacher. I think he is in his mid 30s. He has a wife, and I’m pretty sure three kids. He always tells his students they are reasonable for their own actions. He gives us three passes out of class every week. Please pick my story thanks for reading it! Madeline Fulton, Grade 7 – Tonia Severance, Union County Middle School
My teacher, Miss Severance, rocks for so many reasons! First of all, she’s beautiful and all inspiring. She helps me -- as well as everyone -- conquer and overcome challenges, in school and in the real world! Not just an amazing inspiration, but an amazing teacher who has her mind and heart set on being the best teacher she can be (which is truly amazing). Miss Severance just about knows every word in the dictionary! Miss Severance works extra hard to teach us everything she knows (which is a lot). Sometimes, I don’t know how she pulls things off! She’s either magic or a miracle worker. Miss Severance is very dedicated to her work, which rubs off on us as well. She’s always prepared and ready to teach. Even when things go wrong she always has a plan B! I have had a lot of teachers in the past (don’t get me wrong, they’re all great), but I find myself to be most like Miss Severance! Miss Severance is the most knowledgeable and involved teacher. I’m very lucky to have a teacher as diligent and inspiring as her. Miss Severance has put her heart and mind into teaching and helping kids learn and soak up knowledge. No matter what, you can always count on Miss Severance to be there for you! Miss Severance helps kids achieve their goals every day. Whether it’s big or small, she helps us inch along toward our dreams every day! My teacher, Miss Severance rocks! Gayle Adams, Grade 9 – Scott Johnson, Northeastern Jr./Sr. High School
Mr. Johnson rocks because he has all the qualities I think the perfect teacher should have. He is caring and funny. At the same time though, he is tough and will try and push you to see your full potential. When he taught health class, he made the most awkward subjects entertaining. He was even fun in gym class, which is my least favorite subject ever. He understood that not every student was a professional athlete. As long as you tried, he was appreciative. He’s pretty mellow. He’s not one of those teachers that is always yelling at their students. He always has everyone laughing. Whenever I had a problem, he would talk to me about it and help me out. Whether it was family problems or problems with friends, he did his best to make it at least a little bit better. I think he just understands students better than most teachers. Kelsey Cupp, Grade 8 – Tim Skillman, Lincoln Middle School
My history teacher, Mr. Skillman, wants his students to succeed. I can tell he enjoys American history and wants to share his knowledge with his students. I love the way he is organized. He teaches us what is in the textbook, as well as some interesting stories that catch my attention and make me want to learn more. Mr. Skillman, thank you for giving me a class to look forward to. Courtney Piotrowski, Grade 10 – Nancy Kramer, Richmond High School
I am a student who came from a school where my graduating class had less people than there have been presidents, and moving here has been a tremendous adjustment. Not to mention most teenagers dread school. My world history teacher has made my transition to Richmond High unbelievable. Her style of teaching is funky yet fun and still meets all requirements the state has arranged. She creates projects that get her students engaged, and it makes learning keen. One project us students took part in was the Greek project. In this project, we learned about the Greeks, and at the end of our unit, she took a twist and we had our own Olympic events, only Kramer style. Mrs. Kramer is also a very sincere teacher. If any student has a problem or question, she will resolve the issue. Her wisdom and imagination connects with her students, and that is why she rocks! Connor Silvers, Grade 9 – Theresa Scruggs, Northeastern Jr./Sr. High School
Mrs. Scruggs is the best computer teacher we have. She lets us have fun during our class period, and she teaches at the same time. She is constantly helping a student in our class, and I could not ask for a more helpful teacher than I already have. Mrs. Scruggs is a fun teacher to be around, and I enjoy being in her class a lot. I appreciate Mrs. Scruggs and the way she treats our students. She is a very helpful, loving teacher, and whenever you have a question, she is always there to answer. That’s why I chose Mrs. Scruggs.
www.pal-item.com Chelsey Downing, Grade 12 – Chris Evrard, Centerville Senior High School It’s hard to sum up why my art teacher rocks in just a meager 250 words, but I feel that my teacher, Mr. Evrard, seriously does rock. Not only has he taught me some great things that I will use the rest of my life, but the two of us have formed this awesome student-teacher bond. He puts up with so much with me in class. I am all the time asking questions, accidentally messing up one of the computers or injuring myself. Needless to say, I’m somewhat of a klutz (and I’m sure he would agree). Mr. Evrard just smiles and laughs it off with me. He is so dedicated to his students. He’s stayed after school countless times to help me with projects, along with helping improve my work. He’s given me a reason to come to school and better my artistic ability and has also inspired me to broaden my horizons. Before his classes, I was strictly interested in only the drawing classes, but after taking every art class he offers, I’ve realized how much I enjoy all of it. Mr. Evrard is my educator and has become not only an inspiration to me but also my favorite teacher at Centerville Sr. High. When I graduate this year, it will be his classes and him that I will miss the most from school. I can only hope that he won’t enjoy his quieter classroom and extra hours at home too much when I’m finally gone. Samantha Strunk, Grade 10 – Andrew Brenann, Richmond High School
Why does my teacher rock? My English teacher, Andrew Brennan rocks because he always makes a bad situation, good. My name is Sami Strunk, and I am a sophomore at Richmond High School. I had chosen Mr. Brennan because I go to his class Monday through Friday every week during second period for English class. Mr. Brennan is a funny, understanding, and smart person. I can definitely say that he is my favorite teacher ever. To start off with, my English class is the best class I have. I love coming to Mr. Brennan’s class, even though we do a lot of work. Mr. Brennan can make any old boring writing subject fun. He tries to get us to think in different ways and to express ourselves. My favorite thing is when Mr. Brennan starts to crack jokes with some of the students. He is the type of teacher that makes school a good experience for students. Andrew Brennan has to be one of the funniest people I know. In my opinion, Mr. Brennan is a really understanding person. He can really connect with the students. I also think it’s because he is closer to our age than most teachers at our school. Mr. Brennan is an intelligent yet amusing person. His jokes are so funny and make the class a lot of fun. I feel that I am learning a lot from him, and I am excelling in his class. That’s why I chose Mr. Brennan. Carly Gay, Grade 10 – Mrs. Ball, Richmond High School I think that my teacher, Mrs. Ball, rocks. As a freshman last year, she was my English teacher, club teacher, and also my homeroom teacher. She was super nice and actually cared about her students. She actually taught me things and was a good teacher. She was a good English teacher. I actually learned things in that class. At the beginning of the year, our class was a mess. Toward the end though, she made it to where we felt like everyone in there was our family. Mrs. Ball was also my club teacher, and our club was crocheting. It sounds lame, but crocheting is pretty cool, and I wouldn’t have learned how to do it without her help. Not only did I learn how to crochet, I also learned how to do a new pattern. Along with my English and club teacher, Mrs. Ball was also my homeroom teacher. At the beginning of the year last year, when I first started off as a freshman, I was completely lost. I recall asking Mrs. Ball for directions to classrooms and helping me open my locker that I never once opened. Overall, she was a pretty great teacher. Too bad she doesn’t teach here anymore. I would have loved to walk up to the third floor every now and then to visit her. Shelbi Purcell, Grade 10 – Ann Herrman, Richmond High School My teacher, Mrs. Herrman, rocks! She is trustworthy, helpful, and very laid back. She makes school fun and entertaining. She teaches us in a way that we will understand and be interested in. Mrs. Herrman gives you her trust from day one. Her policy is that she will give you her trust even if we haven’t done anything to earn it. We have her trust until we do something to get it taken away. She makes us feel worthy of her trust, and it miraculously makes us trust her just the same. She is the most helpful teacher that I have. She is just one of those teachers that you aren’t scared to talk to when you need help or don’t understand something. She never looks at us like we are stupid, even when the question we ask may be obvious. The most amazing thing about her is how laid back she is. She lets us listen to music on the computer as long as we are doing our work. If we are goofing off, she starts to get mad and tells us to turn it off. Also, she jokes around with us. She makes sure we get our work done, but she also tries to lighten the mood when everyone is stressed over the work load. Unfortunately, Mrs. Herrman is retiring this year. We all will miss her, and our class will never be the same. I will never forget her because she seriously rocks!