Letters about Teachers

We are especially grateful for good teachers who dedicate their lives to teaching, loving, and shaping our kids.  Leah, Adam, and Emma had an opportunity to nominate their teachers for awards recently, and I loved their insights!

From Adam (7th grade)- 

Mr. Borness is my social studies teacher.  When I first met Mr. Borness, he seemed like someone who is easy to listen to and a good teacher.  I've only been in his class for a few weeks but I can already say that I was right. He is a great teacher! His classroom walls have life skills that we will focus on this year and motivating quotes on the white board that you can apply to everyday life.  He is constantly telling us inspirational stories with good morals. For example, he told us a story about when his dad left him to tear up concrete from the ground with a sledgehammer by himself as a 12-year-old kid.  He told us that people are like concrete and usually don't show the damage they have experienced until they are ready to break, and that we should take care of ourselves and each other more.  Mr. Borness is the kind of teacher that students want to listen to when he starts talking.  That's pretty impressive considering everyone just came in from lunch and are extra energetic and talkative.  

He has made the topics of human rights and cultures more interesting than I thought they would be.  I am looking forward to learning more from him, and I have started to look forward to fourth period every day.  He deserves this award because he is the most inspiring teacher I have this year.  Some of my teachers only teach academics, but Mr. Borness teaches great life stories and skills too.  Although I don't enjoy social studies that much, I really enjoy having Mr. Borness as my teacher.

From Leah (10th grade) - 

Mr. Quinn was my orchestra teacher both last year and this year. He is a great teacher who is supportive and fun. Last year orchestra was my favorite class because of the environment and I'm sure it will be the same this year. Everyone in orchestra is friendly and hardworking (for the most part) and Mr. Quinn makes first period a great way to start the school day. He isn't afraid to have fun in class and it helps all of us enjoy orchestra even more. In our final concert of last year he let us Rickroll the whole audience and even danced along in a trenchcoat while we were performing! It was a great surprise and it is one of my favorite memories of last year.

Mr. Quinn helps me feel confident in my playing ability by doing personal lessons every month and getting to know each one of his students. When I invited him to our church's Easter concert (I was in the choir), he came! Not every teacher would put in that kind of effort to make their students feel so special.  He chose a few students to be part of an ensemble for the WDM Schools art show and I was one of them. Mr. Quinn had noticed that I was making an effort in class to improve my playing, and I felt proud that he invited me to participate in this playing opportunity.  

Mr. Quinn is fun to talk to and easy to joke around with. He does things every day to help us enjoy orchestra even if we are tired or having a bad day. For example, he brought a tiny violin to orchestra one day and played along with us. It woke everyone up and made us laugh. Things like this make orchestra my favorite class. Mr. Quinn has taught me that it's okay to make mistakes and that you can play confidently anyways.  I am glad that Mr. Quinn is my teacher and if anyone deserves to be recognized as an inspiring, caring, and exceptional teacher, it's Mr. Quinn!

From Emma (5th grade) - 

Mrs. Flagg was my first teacher at Jordan Creek, and she was the best out of all of the teachers I have had so far.  She always has fashionable outfits, she is always happy and positive, and she makes students feel loved and seen.  When I was in her class I learned to look on the bright side and to be kind and inclusive.  I felt more included (even though it was my first year in West Des Moines) because I was in her class. 

Whenever I came into her classroom last year she always called me by name and told me to stay happy and have a great, fabulous day!  You just can't be in a bad mood when Mrs. Flagg is around- the whole room feels lifted up when she walks in.  I think Mrs. Flagg is the best teacher anybody could have had.  She gets the job done but is still happy and nice about it.  

Mrs. Flagg deserves this award because she has worked really hard as a teacher and she cares about helping students become better people.  In our class last year, we were all a lot better at the end of the year because she was our teacher.  I think every kid should have a teacher like Mrs. Flagg in their life!