Mr. Dinkeloo: he is a man who will motivate you and tell you to not give up and that you can do anything. What does a great teacher sound like to you? A teacher who can make you laugh, a teacher that helps you when you’re in need, a teacher who can rap better than anyone, and many more things. Well, all those qualities fit my greatest teacher, Mr. Dinkeloo.

It was my 7th grade year of middle school. I thought in my head here we go another boring school year; but my mind changed its thoughts quickly. It was an amazing year and I’ll never forget it because of one specific teacher: Mr. D. Everybody will remember him forever and ever. I looked forward to his class every day for him to brighten my day. One day he was passing out papers and told us to write one random thing on it, so we did. I thought what he is going to do with them. Next thing you know he started rapping. He just put a beat on and started rapping. He was so good; he always said he would rather be a rapper than a teacher if he could. He would rap at our pep rallies, and he knew all the latest songs, so he connected with the students more. I think that’s exactly what a great teacher should do is to connect with the students to understand them better.

He would always tell us stories about his life. He would tell us that people called him train tracks, and he said the he didn’t care that you shouldn’t worry about what other people say, that only your opinion matters. That made me realize that he’s right and I shouldn’t care if people say I’m ugly; I'll just say you’re seeing the wrong image. I feel that I’m a beautiful young lady now, and I shouldn’t listen to those comments because they’ll make me second guess myself.

One time I stabbed myself with a pencil, and it hurt. Mr. D said that the pain will go away and that it happened to him before; to this day I still have the lead in my hand.  He made me happy that day because he was like a parent soothing a child. I tried out for soccer, and I didn’t do very well and Mr. D told me to try harder next time and you’ll achieve your goal. In class everyone was scared of wasps except Mr. D.; he made everyone comfortable because he named the wasp Wu Tang Killer Bee. That just made me laugh, and I’ll remember it forever. Another thing I'll also remember forever is when Mr. D taught us the capitals of South America with a song. It came in handy when I needed it for Spanish this year.

In conclusion, thank you Mr. D. for everything you taught me. You taught me to never give up and that I can do whatever I want in life no matter the obstacles. I just have to try hard and I will accomplish my goals. Lastly, I don’t have to worry about anyone's opinions. Your personality made me happy everyday no matter what was going on with my friends, sports, anything really, and I thank you for that. You are my nomination for Educator of the Year.