I entered in guidance counselor's office deciding upon a class that wouldn’t bore me to death. I also wanted the class to be and be entertaining. I have not taken a food class before, so I decided to take that in place of woods. I arrived at Mr. Stilp’s Food and Nutrition class at Arrowhead High School first semester of senior year. 

The way Mr. Stilp protrudes as my favorite teacher isn’t his teaching but how he dealt with my class. I have ADHD, being in a class where I needed to do planning made me feel like I was in a nonstop tornado of tasks. He helped me to remain focused in class and become organized. He provided me a stress ball to help me remain focused. A teacher has not done this for me before in my four years of high school. He cared about me and wished for me to excel. 

He taught me to clean dishes and do laundry. He walked into my kitchen, demonstrating how to wash dishes the right way so that they are clean the first time. He demonstrated washing dishes and doing laundry so I could learn to be independent. This affected me in a mountain of ways; I felt a teacher was teaching me to enhance myself. He did not want to throw busy work at me.

Mr. Stilp helped me grow as a student and a person in the one-semester he educated me. He showed me how to be a strong soldier in the toughest battles. He would tell me  “how you react to a situation determines the outcome.”

He demonstrated how to be patient with how he dealt with me every class. He was understanding and was fair, knowing how to deal with every student.

Mr. Stilp is a passionate teacher that cares. He would often invent individual activities for me; depending on how advanced or behind I was. He respects me with his patience and I respect him because of his integrity. I can talk to him about anything and not fear what he would say because I know he is being honest.

Mr. Stilp showed teachers can be both fun and great mentors. He took selfies with our class and humored our corny jokes. He also led me to productivity while still making it entertaining. Mr. Stilp is a great role model for being a compassionate leader. 

Thank you, Mr. Stilp. You helped me to understand the meaning of a compassionate leader. You got me through the tornado I never thought I could get out of. You taught me to be independent, honesty, patient, and kind. You showed us that great leaders are fun.