Eighth grade was a testing time for me, (as it is for most of us turning into young adults). Dealing with the awkwardness and changing cliques and classic middle school drama, just like ost of us did.

Mr. Crow, my eighth grade Media and Journalism teacher at North Shore Middle School deserves more credit than he has ever received. A tall, manly man, he had the intimidating physique of the high school football player he was back in the day, yet he still has an inviting and accepting aura. He would never judge another person or act in any way to bring dishonor to himself. Mr. Crow lives for acceptance and respect. Mr. Crow destroyed labels every day just to show us not all things can be put in one place, but that everything is special.  

He opened minds, while keeping his own open, to ideas and new ways of thinking every day. Every day in class we would think of projects and stories to film and create, he would throw out additional ideas not to change our product but to enhance it. Mr. Crow was the key to our minds, as well the kindling to our ideas. He wanted us to see the world as a changing place that we need to learn to respect and understand. Not just simply knowing the world, but knowing how to interact with it.

Mr. Crow pushed us to embrace the things we were unsure of. Be it a class, a friendship, or a fear. Mr. Crow is why I am as open and humble and outspoken as I am. He pushed me to be on the morning announcements (it was televised at our school to all classrooms). This push broke my personal barrier of being a public figure as he did with many of us.

Mr. Crow helped students break barriers. For me, I never liked presenting or having people watch me on a screen, but he showed me that I had the personality and confidence for it deep down. If he ever had one mission, it would be to make every student happy no matter how he could do it. He loves his students and it was always obvious. Even in a disagreement he came off more respectful than many of the teachers did even when they liked a kid.

In Media and Journalism, our projects were self assigned and purely of our own creation. He always listened and helped us all with detail and practicality. He never called an idea dumb or too much, he wanted us to express ourselves.

This is why I nominate Mr. Crow for teacher of the year. He only ever wanted us to enjoy life, all the while learning and processing all that we need to. All of us who had him will always respect him and thank him for being the person to spread respect and prosperity in a time of personal and social chaos.