I’m rather disappointed to see that we are only allowed to nominate junior high and high school educators for the Educator of the Year contest. Why don’t you allow ­elementary school teachers? They are just as important and can have just as big an impact on a student. I understand that this would mean many more submissions, but I think that they should be given a chance.

I have someone I would like to nominate, but I can’t because he was my fourth-grade teacher. He really made an impact on me. Please consider changing the rules of this contest to include the wonderful elementary school educators who currently aren’t recognized for their efforts.


Editor’s response: We certainly value and appreciate all those elementary school teachers who have helped each of you along the way. However, since Teen Ink is written entirely by teens for teens, we created our Educator of the Year award to honor educators who work directly with teens. Watch these pages for essays in coming months.

You certainly can send us an essay about your fourth grade teacher for ­consideration in our Heroes section.