Educator of the Year | Teen Ink

Educator of the Year

October 6, 2014
By Twint SILVER, Hartland, Wisconsin
Twint SILVER, Hartland, Wisconsin
5 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Walking into my first ever AP class, I was intimidated to say the least. AP Microeconomics.What was I getting myself into? Looking around, I saw some of the most brainy kids in the school, while I am utterly average grade wise. I thought I was doomed upon entering. I was debating dropping and picking up Parenting or Psych. But then I was introduced to Mrs. Klun.
Mrs. Klun, with her white blonde hair and J Crew cardigan, stood at the front of the room grinning. She made me feel at ease in the otherwise stressful class, even before she spoke. “Welcome to AP Micro!”  she chuckled as she addressed the class. Her laugh is the kind that makes you laugh just hearing it - it’s one of my favorite qualities she possesses. While I knew this class would be quite the undertaking, I was along for the ride with Mr. Klun as my guide.
As the year progressed, Mrs. Klun made understanding Microeconomics not only entertaining, but also applicable to my daily life (I can’t say the same for most courses in high school). I learned in immense detail the values of opportunity cost; I give great thanks to Mrs. Klun for this because it has helped me on various shopping excursions.
She often taught us with activities that really hit home for the class. And we even did Donut Fridays as a special end of the week reward. Donut Friday was something I looked forward to each week. Mrs. Klun would ask for a dollar a donut; then before school Friday morning she would run and grab them from Dunkin’ Donuts. What a sweet lady she is.
It’s not everyday that you find a teacher that genuinely cares for the wellbeing of each of their students. But Mrs. Klun was one of those teachers. She acknowledged when the class was stressed, and in turn we played Say How You Feel - one of Mrs. Klun’s classics. We all wrote on a slip of paper a stressor in our life and put them into a basket. She then read them aloud anonymously to the class. We got everything all out on the table. When Say How You Feel was over I can honestly say I felt uplifted. Mrs. Klun not only taught me AP Microeconomics, but to keep smiling.
Leaving that class I knew if I ever needed to talk to someone, Klun would be there for me. She’s a mom, a teacher, and a fashionista. Thank you, Mrs. Klun, for going above and beyond for your students. Mrs. Klun is the teacher of my schooling career, and my educator of the year.



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