I am nominating my 4th grade teacher, Mr. Bill Francisco, from Brandywine Springs School. He single- handedly helped me through so many difficult things that I endured in elementary school. Prior to having Mr. Fran, I had a horrible experience in my 3rd grade year. I had a teacher who was not a nice person, and she made me feel like I was an inconvenience because I didn’t and couldn’t understand what was being taught. I was down, depressed, and felt stupid. Then, came my 4th grade year with Mr. Fran. I didn’t know at the time, that this man would change my life.
When I entered the 4th grade, I was pretty much broken. My self-confidence was non-existent. I had, and still have, a difficult time learning different things. Mr. Fran took the time, when others wouldn’t, to help me understand what was being taught. I basically needed help with everything. He never got angry with me. He never lost his patience with me; at least, he never showed it if he did. He wanted me to be a successful student. He wanted me to shine. And he brought that out of me. It took me a really long time during that year, but I finally came out of my shell.
Mr. Fran could make me laugh in a split second. It didn’t matter what kind of day I was having. He wanted me to be happy in school. He wanted me to WANT to be in school. The year before, I would actually get physically upset and beg my parents to allow me to stay home. Mr. Fran changed my entire outlook of what I thought school was supposed to be like. I actually enjoyed going to school, because I knew I’d be spending the day with a wonderful teacher, who actually liked me as a person and a student.

I can’t explain how much I struggled in school. I still do. I was just recently diagnosed with a learning disability. Something that I was never aware of until now. But that year, with his help, he made me believe that I could accomplish anything. He wanted me to be successful, and he wanted me to believe I could be successful. I tried, and worked, and I struggled so hard; I was able to pull my grades up. A couple of marking periods, I actually made honor roll. I couldn’t believe it! To top it all off, which is really the icing on the cake, one of the coolest things he did in class, was play the guitar. He played and he sang. As a kid, watching my teacher play the guitar and sing rock songs was one of the coolest experiences of my life. It just made him more awesome!
As a student who constantly struggles just to maintain average grades, it is an incredibly frustrating and aggravating thing to deal with. Especially when you feel like you’re the only one going through it. I believe that there are special teachers out there who truly care for their students. Mr. Francisco was that teacher for me. I can’t find the words to thank him for everything that he did for me, and I’m not even sure he would realize how much he made a positive impact on my life. If I had the chance to ever thank him, it would include the biggest hug ever. But another way of thanking him, I believe, is nominating him for Educator of the Year. I’m positive that he has changed many children’s lives, not just mine. Mr. Francisco is a hero. He is my hero.