Nandika Bathula, an 8th grader at the Crossroads South Middle School in South Brunswick, New Jersey, has been named the local area winner of the Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Essay Contest. Her subject was Michael Touhey, a veteran elementary school teacher at Cambridge School in Kendall Park, New Jersey.
Students were asked to write essays, poems, or thank you letters directed to their teachers to explain the manner in which the selected teacher influenced their lives and why they were admired. Both Touhey and Bathula were recently recognized at the Barnes and Nobles Princeton store along with the principals of both schools.
Bathula received a Certificate of Recognition from the bookseller and will move on to the regional competition for the one overall Teacher of the Year. In addition, the winning teacher’s school will also receive $5,000.
In the essay, Bathula said “teaching kids how to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.” She also praised Touhey for his “never give up” rule. “Walking into your class was motivating. I enjoyed everything from the Stock Market Game to even creating our own study guides,” she wrote. “You are a bit strict, but you also made learning incredibly enjoyable. Undoubtedly, you are my favorite teacher,” she summarized.
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