I am very grateful for having the opportunity to learn from over 20 different teachers in my 12 years of education. Out of all of my wonderful teachers, one drastically stands out compared to the others, my eighth-grade social studies teacher Luke Crossan.

    Mr. Crossan is the eighth-grade social studies teacher at Alfred G. Waters Middle School. Mr. Crossan is a teacher who knows his students' true limits and makes sure to push everyone. In class, he always makes sure every student understands what he is saying and innovates the students' culture into the lessons. Mr. Crossan is always coming up with new ways to grab our attention and entertain us while teaching a high-quality lesson.

    One day my school had a field trip to Washington, D.C. That morning we got on our buses and headed to our destination. After seeing the White House, Washington Capital, and visiting multiple museums we were ready to leave. My group got on our bus and started to head home, but not even five minutes on the road our bus broke down at a stop light. The driver managed to get the bus going, but we ended up breaking down again on the side of a highway. Mr. Crossan was notified about our continuous struggles and attempts to call for help, but we didn't receive any. Mr. Crossan then goes to get a bus of his own and drive it all the way back down to our location. When he arrived, he loaded us onto the bus and my group finally headed home and that's all we thought, but then Mr. Crossan surprised us with drinks and pizza. He lightens our mood with multiple jokes and we happily arrived back to school where we couldthen head home.

    Mr. Crossan was more than a teacher; he was every student's friend. Even the kids who didn't have his class liked him. He had a great sense of humor and was also very wise. He was the only teacher I have had who truly interacted with students on a personal level, most teachers only interact with kids about school work. Mr. Crossan continues to brush up on today's culture to connect with his kids and connect the lessons to what we already know making it easier to understand. On top of all of that he is very hardworking and organized. Every day he had the schedule for the class and how long each section should take. It helped the class stay on track and know when they needed to finish one lesson and get ready for the next.

    All in all Mr. Crossan was an amazing teacher to have. He cared for his students and put others first; he even had a nickname for every student. He had a great work ethic and was always organized. Mr. Crossan made coming to school fun yet educational. He allowed me to learn more about the world’s history and make it one of my favorite subjects that year after it has always been my least. He pushed every student to their true limit, and I am genuinely grateful for having his as my eighth-grade social studies teacher, so that is why I am nominating him for Educator of the Year. He truly deserves it.