Voting has ended for this contest. Please check back soon for when we announce the winner!
PennySaverUSA.com’s “Favorite Teachers” online contest is in its final leg. The five finalists have been selected, and the winner of the $250 cash prize will be determined by which entry gets the most votes in the comments.
In order to vote in this online contest, please leave a comment on the blog with the corresponding number of which entry you have selected.
Without any further delay, here are the five entries:
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1. My favorite teacher was in third grade. Mrs. Dickey was amazing. She made learning fun everyday. She was loud, always laughing, a fiery redhead with a heart of gold. She convinced us we could be anything we wanted in life. Mrs. Dickey saw that I loved to read and helped our family buy a set of World Book Encyclopedias, which we couldn’t have afforded otherwise. She brought extra clothes and lunches to school for kids who might need them. She was an angel.
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2. My favorite teacher, unknown to her many years ago, ended up shaping my entire life and who I am today when it comes to my career and even many of my values.
Mrs. Hoffman was my English teacher and also the advisor for our Literary Club. I enjoyed writing and she encouraged it every step of the way. She made me believe in myself and I am forever grateful for that gift from her.
A few years after graduation, I submitted my first piece of writing for publication. The initial response from the first publication was a rejection, but I remembered Mrs. Hoffman’s faith in my writing and I tried again. It was accepted by the second publication I tried and I’ve been a freelance writer ever since.
The world needs a lot more “Mrs. Hoffman’s.” Her encouragement was always the self esteem boost that an extremely unsure-of- herself girl needed. I tried to find her a number of years after I graduated to tell her that her teaching and encouragement meant so much to me. Sadly I was not able to locate her but I’m sure she’s still inspiring students to reach for the stars with their creative writing. Carry on, Mrs. Hoffman!
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3. My 3rd Grade Teacher, Ms. Vivis, was my absolute favorite teacher. She was very understanding every step of the way when my parents were getting a divorce. There was a week when I could not bring my books to school because of the games my parents were playing, but she would let me take her teacher editions home with me. She would make sure I had the notes and homework assignments; and would give me extra time when I would miss days. Even years later, when I randomly saw her at a gas station, she came over, gave me a hug, and made sure I was doing alright. She has since passed away, taken much too soon, but her memory lives on in the students she has taught.
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4. Have you ever had that one teacher who would always call on you? Every time they did your stomach would turn, your palms would sweat, you would blush ridiculously and you would struggle to get out a response while nervously biting your pen. Every day my teacher would ask me to share my opinion, make a claim and then provide evidence for my statements. I couldn’t understand why this teacher, the first in my entire academic career, would make me speak in class. When I refused or hesitated to speak, she would calmly look into my eyes and say in the kindest voice ” I think you have valuable input, please share”.
In an attempt to stop her from hasseling me I told her that I disliked sharing my opinion in class because I feared my classmates would judge me. Bad idea, she called on me twice a day instead of once. Why did she enjoy my misery? For two years this teacher stopped me in my tracks and forced me to argue a position. As my final semester with her came to an end I no longer needed her assistance, I was able to freely and comfortably share my thoughts not only with my classmates but with strangers, at the market and in the workforce. She taught me to think for myself and to eloquently explain my rationale. Deborah Michaels guided me and taught me to value my voice and this is why she is my favorite teacher.
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5. This is a story my daughter (9 years old in 4th grade) wrote for her teacher (we framed it and gave it to her as an end of year present)….
My teacher earns 5 stars every school day!
She is always smiling at me 
.
I learn alot in my class and if
I don’t understand something, it’s okay,
because she will show me how to do it.
I can tell Ms. Hull enjoys teaching,
because she has a passion when she’s teaching.
She is always trying new and creative things to make
every day a fun day while we are learning.
For St. Patricks day we built leprechaun traps -
these are special traps with a simple mechanism (science)
that will catch those sneaky leprechauns!
I can always feel her excitement and
it makes me excited to learn!
Ms. Hull uses her head and her heart to teach us.
I feel she really likes me alot.
She doesn’t have a favorite, she loves us all.
She misses me when I’m sick.
She will always give anyone a hug that needs it.
We love when she reads stories to our class.
Everyone says ‘awwwwww’ when the story is done.
We want the story to go on forever because we
love hearing her sweet voice read to us.
Ms. Hull teaches to all of me.
She makes my brain smarter by teaching me
math, english and science.
She makes my heart bigger teaching me to respect my friends,
love my environment and to celebrate life!
April 03, 2012 
4 Comments
