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Teacher To
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First Place
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Honorable
Mention:
Winning Essays First Place (grades 3-5): Katy Bielmaier Honored Teacher: Lori Walker, Wall
A teacher I would like to remember is the person I’m going to talk about today. It is my lovely teacher from third grade. Her name is Mrs. Walker. Mrs. Walker is nice. She takes care of everyone. People like her so much. I have not once seen her not caring for people. Isn’t that nice. She grew up with such good parents and good manners.
She gives us presents for the holidays we’re in school for. I try so hard to be nice to her, because she cares so much about me. Sometimes she even slips an answer on accident. Sometimes the answer is on a test, but it’s not fair to cheat on a test. So Mrs. Walker made sure that she didn’t let us have that question on the test. Now that’s what I call a good teacher. She gave us a coupon book for Christmas. In the coupon book there is a coupon for a free answer on a test. Now that is cool! I mean, I don’t know what to say because Mrs. Walker is so nice, that I can’t explain how nice she is.
My dad had cancer, (he just got over it) and he still has to go for check ups. When he recently went for a check up I kind of got scared, because I didn’t know if my dad was going to have cancer again or if he was healthy. Mrs. Walker said she would take care of me. I was staying at my grandma’s house but, at school when my grandma wasn’t there, Mrs. Walker told me “I will take care of you at school”.
All I’m trying to say is “I think she deserves a plaque or an award”. Thank you for letting me enter this contest.
Honorable Mention (grades 3-5): Jessica Casjens Honored Teacher: Marlie Trask, Wall
First Place (grades 6-8): Jackie Meyer Honored Teacher: Deb Schultz-Hartz, Brookings
“How is it that music can, without words, evoke our laughter, our tears, our highest aspiration?” - Jane Swan. This quote seems to perfectly describe Ms. Hartz, my middle school band director. She thinks, breathes, and lives music. Her incredible passion for music has inspired me to do many things with music that I never thought possible. One of the qualities that makes her an amazing personality is her ability to ‘evoke our laughter’. Most people love going to band because she is not afraid to make a joke about anything; she has an incredible sense of humor. Some of the songs that we have played, like Revenge of the Dust Bunnies, show that she loves to entertain and have fun. Besides knowing how to make people laugh, she also brings people up when they are down. When I tried out for middle school All State Band, she encouraged me the whole time. When I found out that I hadn’t made it for the second year in a row, she told me to look ahead to next year. She said I still had another chance. By inspiring and pushing me to try out, she helped me set a high goal. Not reaching that goal did bring me tears, but it also helped me realize that I can survive disappointment. Even though she is really funny, she has high expectations. Students are required to fill out a practice sheet, and to practice 120 minutes a week. Some kids hate it, but it makes me want to practice even more, knowing that for every minute that I practice, I am getting a better grade and improving my skills. Every day, Ms. Hartz inspired me to do more with music than I would have done on my own. She convinced me to try out for All State Band as a sixth grader, which nobody had ever done in all of the years that she has taught. After I failed last year, she convinced me to try out again. After being only five spots away from making it, I am determined to make it next year. She has taught me to work hard and achieve my dreams, which I could not do without her support every day. As you can see, Ms. Hartz has made a big difference in my life. The purpose of this essay is to thank her for all that she has done. Everyone has some music in their lives, and she is someone who aspires for more of it.
Honorable Mention (grades 6-8): Makenzie Haensel Honored Teacher: Teresa Van Hyfte, Hartford
As I sit here and think back to my Kindergarten teacher I remember the memories that we had that year. Crazy Hat Day, Alphabet people, Circle time: Mrs. Van Hyfte would always try to make learning fun! She was never afraid of doing something different, whether it was in teaching or in just life in general. She always did what she thought was the best for us. Because of her positive attitude it made the students in her class want to learn new things. Our class had a special bond with her and each other. We went to her if we had problems and she was always willing to help us. Back then, when I was five all I cared about was going to school seeing my friends and my teacher. But now I realize that my Kindergarten year, Mrs. Van Hyfte taught me the basics for many useful things that I would use later in my school years and later in my life. She always had a way about her, she was pretty, she dressed cute, and she had a fun personality. You could tell that she loved teaching and truly cared for each and every one of us. I always noticed she would never rush her teachings, and always explained to us what we needed to know. She was patient, kind and very respectable. Our class all got along well because she taught us how to respect ourselves and others. Also she told us to do what we thought was right in situations. I knew it was hard for her to adjust to teaching a kindergarten class, after teaching older kids but I and many others believe that she handled this big adjustment well and taught us to her absolute best ability. She really wanted our class to learn and grow. All of these details came together and formed a solid base for learning in her classroom. How many of you remember dancing with the Alphabet People (Letter People), Field trips to the apple orchard picking apples, and even the tasty Birthday treats. No matter what we did (boring or exciting) we always made it fun and enjoyable for everyone in our class. Mrs. Van Hyfte took ideas (whether dumb or cool) and incorporated them into these fun activities and even in the classroom. They made learning a lot more fun. Mrs. Van Hyfte made me want to learn and had a major influence on my first school year. That year got me on the right foot and ever since then I have always been excited to go to school and learn something new at school. Now I am on the Honor role and doing wonderful in school. And I will never forget those memories and what Mrs. Van Hyfte taught me for the future of learning. So, now I want to thank Mrs. Van Hyfte for all those things.
First Place (grades 9-12): Kama Konda Honored Teacher: Lorene Veatch (retired), Sisseton
“A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” That famous quote by Stowoski makes a point that music is a special gift. I believe that music is the melody of life. Each note tells a story just waiting to be heard. The score is a map of music as well as life guiding us toward what is yet to happen. For me, my inner song was found with my high school band instructor, Mrs. Lorene Veatch. Although she retired at the end of my sophomore year, I realized in those two short years that Mrs. Veatch lived to be a music teacher. Every part of her skinny, barely 5’ stature, and her curly gray hair made me smile. She radiated that she cared about what she taught and about her students. A woman of her late-sixties was willing to teach band to a group of students four-times younger than her. She would spend hours in the band room giving her students the greatest experience that may ever have: to make music. Most people have a regular eight hour job, but Mrs. Veatch was guaranteed to be at the school by 7a.m. and maybe leave for supper with her husband by 6p.m. The hours she put in were taken advantage of by eager young students yearning to experience music. Every Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. of my freshmen and sophomore years were spent with Mrs. Veatch. Those early morning flute lessons were more than just learning about music. Mrs. Veatch was always sure that a smile would be seen when the lesson was over. The lessons were teaching me about life and the many talents I possess. Thoughts of nearly hyperventilating outside of the All-State Band audition room my freshmen year is just one of the many memories that were made with Mrs. Veatch. Although I wasn’t selected for All-State that first year, I was determined to audition the next year. While I panted outside the audition room for the second year, Mrs. Veatch took my hands into hers and said it would be alright. Hearing words of advice from Mrs. Veatch before I faced the judge is something I will remember forever. I’m quite sure there were a few silent prayers being said by my teacher as she waited outside the audition room door. The huge grin that spread across my face as I emerged told the story of how well my audition went. It was no surprise to Mrs. Veatch when a month later she called me immediately after seeing the results to break the news: I was selected for the 2007 All-State Band. The best memory with Mrs. Veatch was participating in All-State Band. I vividly remember the loud, crazy, and definitely abnormal road trip with Mrs. Veatch behind the wheel to Pierre. For me, a trip with two senior boys who also were selected for All-State and a senior citizen spelled f-u-n! I remember singing along at the tops of my lungs with Mrs. Veatch to songs about the internet as well as a few others on the trip. High pitched giggles filled the school suburban with every mile of the road we covered. Mrs. Veatch helped me to hear the music in my life. She is what music and band were meant to be. Each day as I sit in band I wonder what it would be like to have her as a teacher again. Just like music comes into style and leaves for a time, I believe Mrs. Veatch has played the music in her life that has helped hundreds of her students hear their inner song. The score to my life is not yet complete but I’m sure that music will lead me in the right direction. Music will forever be a huge part of my life thanks to Mrs. Veatch for inspiring me to continue to learn all I can and to never stop playing. Although I can no longer see Mrs. Veatch playing her inner song, I can still hear the tune as it echoes in my head. Thanks to the music I hear in my life from Mrs. Veatch, she is my teacher to remember.
Honorable Mention (grades 9-12): Bethany Hill Honored Teacher: Jan Just, Sisseton
There is almost no feeling in the world quite like the one of being lost. Of course we’ve all experienced this panicky and unnerving feeling at least once, but for me this is one feeling that seemed to be a more frequent visitor. You see, for as far back as I can remember, I’ve never been able to do math very well, and trust me, when I say never, I mean never. Whether it was multiplication in fourth grade, or Algebra in eighth and ninth grades, math was my nemesis. No matter how hard I seemed to work, the only constant was the sinking feeling of being totally lost. After years of this confusion I got used to it, assuming that it was a fact of life. English came more easily to me, and so I wrote myself off as “one of those English people” and forgot about ever truly learning about mathematics. And then I met Mrs. Jan Just. My first day of Algebra II was like an astronaut’s first trip into space; I’d been through the necessary training to get there, but I was still nervous. Along with every other upper level math class in my high school, Mrs. Just was the teacher and had taught this class for a long time. My older sister had also had Mrs. Just, and she claimed she was an excellent math teacher; I was still skeptical. After the first class I wasn’t surprised when the first initial lost feelings began to ebb in the first day of class. As the bell was about to ring, Mrs. Just looked up from her notes and asked if there were any questions. I tried to look up at her with a stare that said, “I’ve totally got this”, but she saw right through me. She then told the class that she had her prep period during the last hour of the day and would help anyone who needed it. It was a kind offer, especially since she was using the hour she had to prepare for future classes to help students with any questions. I decided to take advantage of it and soon found myself plopped down at one of the tables in her room, ready for the lost feeling that was about to set in. As soon as Mrs. Just saw that I had come in for help, she quickly came over with an excited smile on her face and a steno pad in hand. We didn’t waste a moment and dove right in to my questions. I was impressed by per patience. Even though I would get confused, Mrs. Just made sure that I understood, no matter how many different explanations it took. When I would work through a question on my own correctly, she would grin broadly and exclaim, “Good!”, or when I would begin to stray she always encouraged and helped me understand the true concept of what I was learning. Mrs. Just truly proved what an excellent teacher she was when she agreed to stay many hours before and after school to make sue that I really knew what I was doing. As days went by, it didn’t take long for that lost feeling to go away. I’ll be the first to tell you that I still get lost in assignments, but I’ll also tell you that Mrs. Just is also still there offering her help and guidance. I’ll never be able to thank her for encouraging me to take math classes that challenged me the most. Without her aid I never would’ve been able to succeed in these upper level classes nor would I have felt as prepared for the real world. Thanks to her dedication and passion for the subject she teaches, Mrs. Just inspired me to keep working hard, and it will pay off, even though, in my opinion, it already has. I’ve been able to experience a wide variety of feelings through her class: triumph, happiness, and delight. Thankfully, lost is not on the top of that list.
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