As a 7th grader, I have had an exact amount of 22 teachers, not including the ones I didn't have but have become well acquainted with. For most, this essay will be quite difficult, as there are many teachers that impact our lives as young scholars. But for me, it is quite simple. (insert teacher name here), my 7th grade social studies teacher, is probably one of the most influential people I have ever had the opportunity to know personally. I know that sounds like a lot, but it is true. In the few months I have gotten to know him, I have learned more from him and about him than I have most of my past teachers. That alone is quite remarkable, and here's how.
From the first day of school, my nervous jitters were immediately diminished as I stepped into his classroom. I saw a room of smiling, friendly faces and my confidence was fully restored. He was what most would call my homeroom teacher, and boy was I lucky. He told us straight from the get go that the students around us would become like family, and we'd always have that bond. He was right, I know more about some of those kids than I do some of my friends, because of the way he taught. What I've found is that when you teach history, you don't just say the facts for a test and let students forget it within a week, you compare it to real life. How does it affect them? When you incorporate student lives into teaching, it allows them to not just learn about the topic, but learn about themselves. This was something displayed by Mr. Z more than a few times, and the grade scores show that it worked!
Our homeroom is more like a family than I think some other families are. He's always checking up on us, asking what's new, making sure that we are okay because he's just that type of person. Our class has so many "Student Teaches the Teacher" moments that Mr. Z seems to live for them! He hates missing school days for other things because he hates not being there for his students, teaching or not. And he does this because he's pursuing a job he loves. There are so many teachers that students will write about saying how a teacher has done this grand event in their lives that changed them forever. But in my opinion, it's the little things that count. And at the end of the day, if one teacher can impact 100 students just by asking them if they're doing okay, if they had a good vacation with their family, or if they need help with homework, they deserve some recognition, because they are doing something that students like me will remember forever. Just like his teacher did for him. We should all follow his example. Pursue what you love, help others, and change people for the better. We should all live by that.