“Thank you for joining us for this year’s Education Oscars.” My name is Carly Abelson, and I will be your host for this evening… You know, everyone says that all students have had one teacher that really affected their lives, but I can honestly say that I have had three incredibly influential teachers. This is the exact reason I have chosen to have this run-off. Feel free to call in and voice your opinion at any time during the show, by the way. The most important thing about this show is not the winner, however, it is the dedication of all the nominees that I have chosen as well as every other teacher that has touched the lives of their students.
The first nominee for the Education Oscar is my fifth grade science teacher Mr. Sacco. Not only did I learn more about Newton’s Laws of Physics that year than I ever wanted to know, but he helped make my move to a new school with all new people a completely comfortable experience. He spent his teaching time trying to make all of his students happy by instructing on various different levels so that no one struggled with the material and no one was bored either. In addition, he went above and beyond his call as our teacher by forcing us to live the lessons we were discussing about gravity and inertia in a way that makes me remember them to this day.
I can recall the first time I ever got stood up for a date with an older boy in seventh grade. When I told Mr. Sacco about how Billy never showed up at the bowling alley that Saturday night he had a look of pure disappointment on his face that I will never forget. He had a gentle way of getting things done tactfully and needless to say, not only did he get the boy to apologize to me, but he made me feel better by bringing the whole class ice cream the next day and using the example of my trauma in class to assist in our understanding of a key concept. He was a caring and dedicated teacher that allowed me to see what real love for your students is like.
The second nominee for this evening’s Education Oscar is Mrs. Nefflen, my biology teacher for the first two years I was in high school. You see, I went to a magnet school in Riviera Beach, Florida where a lot of the students had a chance to have the same teachers for more than one year. That was one of the benefits about the International Baccalaureate Program that I had the fortune of being a part of. This was due to the fact that they only instructed IB students. Mrs. Nefflen was one of the teachers that affected me the most. She was warm and always had a smile on her face…even on the afternoon that she told our class she had cancer and would be missing some classes as she underwent chemotherapy. This was a huge shock to us because we had all enjoyed seeing her three days a week and couldn’t picture science without her. The initial response we all had was to be worried, not only because of her condition but because of the importance of continuity and regularity in the topics IB students were required to have a firm grasp on for our nation-wide exam.
The second nominee for this evening’s Education Oscar is Mrs. Nefflen, my biology teacher for the first two years I was in high school. You see, I went to a magnet school in Riviera Beach, Florida where a lot of the students had a chance to have the same teachers for more than one year. That was one of the benefits about the International Baccalaureate Program that I had the fortune of being a part of. This was due to the fact that they only instructed IB students. Mrs. Nefflen was one of the teachers that affected me the most. She was warm and always had a smile on her face…even on the afternoon that she told our class she had cancer and would be missing some classes as she underwent chemotherapy. This was a huge shock to us because we had all enjoyed seeing her three days a week and couldn’t picture science without her. The initial response we all had was to be worried, not only because of her condition but because of the importance of continuity and regularity in the topics IB students were required to have a firm grasp on for our nation-wide exam.
The real emotions were felt the first day I walked into class, and just like she warned us, she wasn’t there. We had a teacher we all knew and liked, but it was not the same. Months went by and Mrs. Nefflen was there sometimes and other times she was not. My heart skipped a beat every time she wasn’t there, however, because when she was absent I was worried that she was in pain and terrified that she would not come back. She did recover though, and everyone in her class passed their IB exam with flying colors but to this day I still hope she is doing okay. I am sure that she helps all of her students in the same way she helped us, in biology and in life.
My third candidate for the Oscar for Educator of the year is Mrs. Weber, my debate teacher and coach all through high school. Mrs. Weber had a way of getting everyone to do what she needed them to do without even asking. She required a lot more work and effort from us then most of the teachers of our core classes did, but we put in the time without even an argument. Not only do I feel strongly that my participation with the debate team helped me make it through high school with a good head on my shoulders but it helped me develop life skills as well. My first two years in debate, I was involved in an event that required the work of myself and my partner to act out a scene from a movie or play without moving our feet! We were very successful with our piece and Mrs. Weber always helped when she could. We spent a lot of time participating in tournaments at colleges like UF and Harvard. She always did everything in her power to make sure we had fun on these trips and included us in the traditions that the team had developed over the years like Krispy Cream Doughnuts and bowling in the Wright’s Union at the University of Florida.
The following year, however, Mrs. Weber was offered a better job as the director of the School of the Arts communications program and she had to take it. She went out of her way to come to class on the first day of school so she could tell us herself. We were all crushed but realized that we would still see her at all of the tournaments we attended and she promised to support us as much as she could. I never really thought I would need her to be there for me, until the event at UF that year. I was participating in an event that required the memorization of a ten minute speech that was then delivered to a classroom full of people. I made it to the final round which means that the number of people in the event was reduced from about 150 to six! The room was filled with people interested in the event including Mrs. Weber, three students from her school that were competing as well, and the girl that wrote the speech I was about to deliver. It was going fine until I looked around the room and suddenly forgot the next line. There was no salvaging the speech so I said that I was sorry and ran off the stage! My old teacher, who was now my friend, was the only person who could make me see that where I placed in the top six was not the issue but the fact that I made it there, was what was important. I will forever remember how needed and appreciated her support was at that moment.
I guess the point that I am getting at is that it is not important who wins or loses because all of these wonderful teachers have made ME feel important. In my opinion, it is a huge accomplishment to have a student write about you as a teacher that has truly influenced his/her life. I only hope that I can make that kind of difference in the lives of my students. So now, “the Oscar goes to… EVERY teacher that has made a difference!”
-- Carly Abelson, Florida Atlantic University