SPENCER — The Spencer Doll and Toy Museum held the “Why I Love My Teacher” essay contest to celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Day earlier this month.
More than 30 essays were submitted and were critiqued on spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. As the winner, Salem F., a fifth-grader from Bostian Elementary, received a “Teacher Barbie” and her teacher, Wendy DiStefano, received a special gift.
Salem, 10, wrote this essay:
“Have you heard of Mrs. DiStefano? She is caring, funny, and smart. Mrs. DiStefano teaches 5th grade. She is a great teacher and is like a mother that helps and guides her students. Mrs. DiStefano makes sure all of her students are on the same page when she is teaching.
“To start off, Mrs. DiStefano has the most caring, sweet, lovely voice, though she can be firm. All of her students so far have passed the EOGs with flying colors all because of her. Her kind personality has impacted her students a lot.
“Secondly, Mrs. DiStefano is funny and tells what is happening in her life. Sometimes her stories teach us lessons that we are learning in class. She makes up jokes and says funny little quotes when we are having a sluggish day. It’s funny when she talks to the computer to get it to load faster.
“Moreover, my teacher is one smart, sweet cookie. Mrs. DiStefano can do problems in her head, quickly list many different trees, and explain how motion works in a short paragraph. She is an amazing smart teacher with a love for books. She has fun teaching and loves it. Mrs. DiStefano is simply an amazing teacher.
“To end it off, you may never meet my teacher in person, but you will remember what I said. Mrs. DiStefano has a smile that will melt your heart.”