Educator of the Year | Teen Ink

Educator of the Year

May 5, 2017
By JF1126 BRONZE, Hartland, Wisconsin
JF1126 BRONZE, Hartland, Wisconsin
4 articles 0 photos 0 comments

I think all of Mrs. Walter’s students remember her, and can agree that all Arrowhead students should take her classes. My friends and I remember her teaching style, understanding, and quirky sense of humor, even as we prepare to graduate. I don't think most of us knew what Political Science was, as we signed up for our first classes.  Determined, dedicated, and dependable—Mrs. Walters made sure to change that.

 

Her teaching style transported me to any scenario: a murder mystery, a legally bound marriage, a courtroom, the Senate, a high stakes drug bust. She found ways to teach us how Social Studies unfolds in real life.


“And if you two married each other, but she was murdered before they were legally divorced, then the charges would be…” She used her students as real life examples in what she taught. There was always a reason to pay attention in her class, with wide eyes and laughs.


Most of all, she was friendly. We were the group of confused freshmen, stumbling around like unguided sheep, desperately trying to find and get to our classes on time. Navigating Arrowhead for the first time was like trying to get through big city rush hour traffic. But standing by her door each morning, she became the only welcoming face I remember as a freshman. On more than one occasion, I backtracked to her room to ask for directions, and she was always understanding.


Thanks to her, I met my first friends at Arrowhead. She put us in groups, and four years later, I am still good friends with everyone from mine.  She enjoyed being a matchmaker too, giving us the latest info on the next dance or prom, and helped to fill us in with schedules and calendars. Who knows what might have derailed without her. My first Social Studies teacher Mrs. Walters is my favorite educator, and is appreciated not only by me, but by all her students.
 



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