I hold a crumpled schedule in my hand as I look for the classroom. A small flutter of anxiety tiptoes through my mind. When I walk in I see various acquaintances and friends but something else intrigues me. The room smells of ideas, inspiration and imagination. Its vaguely chaotic and slightly confusing but despite that everything seems- well perfect. My hopes are peeking as I slide into an empty seat, mindlessly chattering with my neighbor. Out of nowhere a teacher appears, he bares a majestic , almost noble quality. His proud saunter coaxes a smile to my face, and when he casually sits in the front of the room I’m at the edge of my seat. Anticipating I wait , until he finally says “ I guarantee this will be your favorite class” just like that ! I’m a little flabbergasted but at the same time I respect his arrogance. Proud as a peacock he informs us how he expects the class to go for the remainder of the year. Obviously no one could possibly predict how wonderful it really would end up being . Over the past few months I’ve fallen in love with his fantastic humor and unusual methods. He is a genuine ‘tough guy” on the outside but his true personality reveals that he is the sweetest push over ever to grace the earth with his presence. He’s the most relatable person I’ve ever met and owns a unique and hilarious vocabulary. Constantly he will say “ that’s good stuff man” with a gnarly accent and youthful smile. Delightfully I’ve found friendship in this zealous man and amazing teacher. Keep in mind the words I write here only skim the surface of the true characteristics of my dear friend and mentor. Other than being witty and comical he is also very wise and remarkably gives exceptional advice. How one person can earn so much of my respect and admiration leaves me dumbfounded. I admit I’ve pushed his buttons and his limits on more than one occasion but in the big picture he won my approval and honor from the beginning. On this journey I have learned many things about this special human being. For example his hand writing is atrocious! Learning to read it may single handedly be my greatest achievement. He also has a super sized ego but makes up for it with a big and humble heart. His aspect on life is truly spectacular , and his ideas are outstanding. Everything he writes is “great stuff!!!” and I cant help but giggle as he proudly presents his masterpieces. (usually concocted at three in the morning) To some he is “The hawk” to others “F-dawg” while even more peculiar names have been created but for the sake of his pride we will leave them out of this particular sentence. All along he has been a wonderful ray of sunshine in my life and I hope this essay can somewhat explain how much I appreciate him and hope that he is proud of me. He is truly the fuel to my creative fire and I pray this year the fire will continue to blaze , hot and bright. Radiating so much heat that I may carry this “torch” with me always.