Mr.B | Teen Ink

Mr.B

January 14, 2009
By Anonymous

There are some teachers at my high School who help students. There are some teachers who make sure their students are doing well; there are some teachers who make sure they have a good classroom environment. However, Mr. Frank Balistreri is not just some teacher.
Mr. B is a middle-aged English teacher. He wears distinctive 70’s glasses and he has a bald-headed, which is just another attribute that makes Mr. B himself. He may not look like the coolest teacher, but he is the best.
He likes his students so much that he hangs their artwork in his class. He tells me his favorite piece of art is one that his student drew for him. It is of a character from his favorite show “Transformers.” It was the best transformer in the show, Optimus Prime. This makes Mr. B a cool teacher because he uses TV shows to relate to his students on.
When I am listening to him in class, there is always something I can take out of his class and it doesn’t always involve English. When I see him outside of school, he acknowledges me by name and asks me how my day is going and how I am doing. He also invites me to his shows and concerts because they are events he thinks his students will enjoy or learn from.
I remember one story he told in class. It was the story Coyote and the Rock. It was a story about respect and how a person can just walk around on other people and disrespect things around them. I remembered it because of not only the moral, but also because of how he read it. He did all the voices with great exaggeration, which is what made the story.

Mr. B also has a passion for music, which he incorporates in his everyday teachings. He made it so even when I was taking a small quiz or doing homework, there was music playing, and it was usually by him.
Mr. B also plays the guitar along with his lessons. I have to say, his guitar playing got me through the class. I believe his guitar playing got me through class because it’s not everyday that a teacher can calm all his students down with a music instrument in class.
I also remember on Senior Day, he showed his skills. Senior Day is a day dedicated to seniors where we talked about graduation and had a guest speaker. During the wait time for the speaker, Mr. B whipped out the harmonica and started to jam. Before the show even started, he got us pumped up … and with a harmonica! Mr. B knows what he is doing, and he does it with skills.

Mr. B is my teacher of the year because he is the Optimus Prime of the teaching world. He has teaching abilities, and the ability to play instruments with massive skills. He’s like a transformer because he is a strong and powerful individual who strongly opinions which he believes in everyday.
He’s not afraid to speak his mind or tell the truth, even if it hurts. One time I was in class, he told me that my piece was not good. He told me I could do better. I redid it and earned it a 122 percent paper (in his class, you can earn more then a 100 percent). That’s what makes him an excellent teacher.
News flash: the best teacher is in. Bald-headed and wearing awesome glasses are what are cool. Oh wait, Mr. B is already that, and I don’t think anyone can beat him.


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