What makes a good teacher? What characteristics do good teachers have? That depends on the student. For me, Master Sergeant Howie is that teacher and deserves the Educator of The Year award because he is very motivational, realistic, and understanding. I go to DMA. DMA is a military school, Master Sergeant Howie is my naval science instructor. He teaches me everything I need to know to become the best cadet I can be. He is the first teacher to make me feel motivated and want to learn.

Master Sergeant Howie is motivational. When we are doing physical training, he tells us the right way to do the activity, shows examples, and encourages us to try even if we don’t think we can do it. Just last week we were carrying people on our shoulders up and down the stairs of our school. I thought it was impossible until he swooped up one of our cadets onto his shoulders. He shows us the proper technique, and he makes sure everyone is comfortable with the activity. He might not motivate you by speaking, but he gives you the ‘you got this’ face, and it makes you feel indestructible. He might make you feel like you’re indestructible, but he’s realistic.

    He is realistic about our capabilities. He knows our strengths and weaknesses and knows how to use them for motivation. He understands that we’re kids and we're going to goof around, but he also knows that we can be taught to be responsible cadets while having fun. He teaches us through real-life experiences like tell war stories and shows movie segments. I love listening to his stories about being in wars and protecting our country.  He makes sure we know everything specifically before we have a test and it makes tests less stressful for us. He understands what it’s like to be a kid and wants to see us succeed. Another quality I can admire besides being realistic is being understanding.

Master Sergeant is very understanding. He knows that we have a lot of stress with school. He can be lenient when it comes to a student forgetting something or doing something as long as he knows you're trying your best and didn't mean to do it. You will still get in trouble, but he won't make you feel worthless. He will help you if you have a question. He can tell when we're getting antsy and gives drill or tells us to walk outside for a minute to collect ourselves and get back into the attentive learning headspace. He also lets us share our experiences about topics we’re learning in class because he knows attaching a memory to a lesson will help us learn our curriculum. He knows us well and understands our personalities and work ethics along with other specifics like what gets us motivated.

Master Sergeant Howie is an amazing teacher. He motivates us while being realistic and understanding and that’s hard to do when every student is different. He teaches us right from wrong and how to help others while using military skills. He is truly one of the best teachers around. This is why I’m nomination Master Sergeant Howie for Educator of the Year.