I knew Ms. Turpin all four years of high school, even though she was my teacher (for AP environmental science) during only my senior year. I had close contact with Ms. Turpin because of her sponsorship of the club lacrosse team and my involvement with the team. As I progressed through Cox and began to form close relationships with a number of teachers, Ms. Turpin stood out to me. While all teachers have the ability to be friendly and cordial with their students, Ms. Turpin took it the extra mile. I saw that she would constantly put my classmates and I before herself.
Ms. Turpin isn’t my favorite high school teacher because I got an A in her class. She is my favorite because of what I learned in her class. What I learned was not restricted to environmental issues. I learned valuable life lessons by observing Ms. Turpin and the way she taught her students. I learned about putting others before myself, that there is so much more to education than books and tests, and that sometimes the best way to learn about the ocean is to watch Finding Nemo.
While I am three years out of high school, the values that I learned from Ms. Turpin are still at the forefront of my mind everyday. Unlike many of my peers, I do not use the title “favorite teacher” loosely. But I do believe that it is safe to say that Ms. Turpin was and is my favorite teacher.
Seth Enderson