A lot of students my age like being given easy books to read and worksheet pages, but I wasn’t one of them. I wanted to be challenged and needed to find a teacher that accepted that. And I found that last school year in my English teacher, Mrs. Victoria Matheny. She is also teaching me World Geography this school year. She taught me so much over the course of that 4-6 weeks she taught me English. So, in return for all that she has done for me, I nominate Mrs. Victoria Matheny specifically for her work as my English teacher.

  Mrs. Victoria Matheny teaches at The Einstein School Of Plano. There she teaches all grade levels (5th - 12th) that take French, World Geography, US History, and Philosophy. Her teaching style is uniquely her, taking various styles of teaching and adding to them her own flair. In English class we have intellectually deep discussions

  Last year, before I had Mrs. Victoria for an English teacher, my teacher just had us doing 40 pages or more of worksheets about our book. And that was per a book. I was an advanced reader for a 7th grader, and he gave us very simple books. When I asked him about assigning me harder books, since there was 2-3 total students in my class, he told me, “What’s the rush? You are only 12. You don’t need to read harder books.” and so forth. When Mrs. Victoria overheard us from her French classroom, she came out and told me some book suggestions for my level. Those suggestions included reading “Dune” by Frank Herbert. And then the next day, it was back to reading those easy books that I could finish in 2 hours (I seriously finished a book in less than 1.5 hours for school.), and those were books that gave me no learning at all.

  When that teacher left unexpectedly, Mrs. Victoria took over his class. Now, the class was down to 2 students to teach, so she was able to give me the options of reading what the rest of her English classes were reading (Cautionary tales), “Dune” by Frank Herbert, or a choice of my own. I chose to read “Dune” by Frank Herbert. It was so refreshing to go to school and actually be able to choose your material to ensure you learn on the proper level for your specific needs. We were able to have deep, in-depth, intellectual conversations about the book, that other 12 year olds wouldn’t understand, since I developed a maturity of a person much, much older than I was. I was so excited to go to English class, because I was finally having a class that actually challenged me.

  What others might find odd, was that my teacher was a young woman in her early- to mid-twenties. We had a strong connection instantly since we first met, she was my intellectual equal and some of my teachers from other schools, felt like my knowledge and endeavors were a threat to them. But, that did not faze Mrs. Victoria from acknowledging my talent and intelligence, and not letting my young age with wise beyond my years knowledge feel like a threat. She understood me breaking into tears randomly and having to not work somedays for the school counselor to meet with me. For once, someone besides the high schoolers, my few friends, and the counselor understood what I was feeling at school. So, that made me feel especially stupendous.

  Back to when I was reading Dune, Mrs. Victoria said that I was reading and understanding a book with pretty much ease that college student would read (and not completely understand), while I was in 7th grade. Once I was done, I wrote an essay that was entitled, “The Dune Of Today”, which you can see on Teen Ink. Mrs. Victoria said that I wrote a paper she would expect from a Junior or Senior, when I was in 7th grade. I was thrilled, as expected!

  I was shocked at how much me and my English teacher, Mrs. Victoria, clicked when we first met. When she finally became my teacher, it felt like I was in heaven. It was a relief to have a teacher that gave me the harder material that I needed, rather than give us a heaving pile of worksheets and easy books and telling me that I didn’t need harder books even though I was asking for and needing them. You would be as surprised as I was to finally find a teacher that took my successes as wise knowledge verses it as a threat to there position. And the fact she was my intellectual equal, gave me an instant strong connection. So personally, for this year’s “Educator Of The Year”, I nominate Mrs. Victoria Matheny, my English teacher from last year. She is also my World Geography teacher this year. Although this years class is awe-worthy, I would like to recognize her for her work as my English teacher last year.