I have long admired my sixth grade teacher. I had enjoyed academic success and some recognitions in school previously but had not really like school until the sixth grade. She made me feel special. She praised my writing; she asked that I repeat a very nervous class performance for parents who stopped by to visit that day; she created various challenging activities. I recall one low-income, low achieving classmate who frequently missed school that she elevated. We spent part of a morning outside as he showed us how to carve simple whistles. Not only did I, and I suspect others, love her, but she made us feel she loved us also. She exemplified to me what a good teacher is and all three quotations.