I thought I would see her everyday. I thought each morning at the much too early hour of 7:45, I would see her smiling in the mob of tired students. I thought we would keep in contact. The last time I spoke to her was almost one year ago, through an email. We were supposed to keep in touch, but clearly failed. Still, the memories last forever. Her impact on my life will never fade away, no matter how much time passes. Teachers are powerful, and a great one can last in your memories forever. An amazing one will leave an impact on you, and shine through your actions each day. So no matter how long it’s been, it’s impossible to forget. You are reminded of  her each day. 
It was the first of day of middle school, my first big  milestone. We started switching classes and courses became more intense. As the year passed, students became “zombie-like,” following the same boring schedule each day. The once exciting transition grew old, except when we were transitioning into science class. Faces lit up like lightbulbs at the mention of “science.” Science meant fun. Science meant hearing the words, “Good morning class!’ from a smiley teacher.  In elementary school, when I heard the word science, I thought of boredom. Textbooks, workbooks, complicated facts, and things that happened as a result of another thing became units we studied for months. But not with Mrs. Stabler. She made people excited with her enthusiasm. She tricked us into learning with fun activities. She made us “thinkers” that can solve anything we wanted. We didn’t learn about our solar system. We sang songs with numonics of the planets that are still drilled into my head. We didn’t learn about solar flares or auroras or Earth’s magnetic field. We played detective and solved a “case of mysterious events.”  We didn’t learn about Newton’s Laws of Motion. We made a balloon car to learn that everything has an equal and opposite reaction. And what did we learn a year prior?  We must have studied numerous topics, but nothing that stuck in my head. Why? The reason must be the teacher! Mrs. Stabler was encouraging. She was fun to be around and supportive, even when we made mistakes. She would put stickers on the top of each paper, demanding us to “keep up the good work!” She would say hi to us  outside of the classroom. She would always insist that we were her favorite class. Because of her, I began loving science. Even today, almost three years later, I still have a strong passion for science.
What else do I remember about her besides the fact that she loved teaching us? I remember everything. One day, when I eating a sticky piece of pizza in the lunchroom, she approached me. She put one caring, gentle hand on my shoulder and whispered to me. “Come to my room for tomorrow’s lunch,” she declared. Then, she had left with the same swiftness in which she had come. So the next morning, I walked through the sunny hallways to her classroom during lunch, wondering what surprise she had in store. She introduced me and four other students to a nation-wide science competition. With her help, we created an incredible video. But the journey was even better. Each year since, I have created my own group where we entered the same  video contest. Thank you Mrs. Stabler for encouraging me to follow something I love to do.
Each year when I enter my science classroom, I think of Mrs. Stabler. Whenever I hear the word science, I think of her. Whenever I continue the tradition of creating science videos to enter into a nation-wide competition, I remember her. Unfortunately, only one year after a successful fifth grade experience with her, I transferred schools. I no longer pass her in the hallways or enter her classroom to say “hello.” Now, I just think her. Now, I just mentally thank her for being such an important figure in my life. Mrs. Stabler, my personal educator of the year, was an unforgettable teacher that will last in my memories forever.