Douglas Wehner

There are many teachers at my middle school who I think deserve a hero page, but there is one in particular who comes to mind. His name is Douglas Wehner, and he is one of the most amazing principals in the entire world.

I can still remember the first time I met Mr. Wehner. It was the first day and I had no friends on my team. He came up to me while I was putting things in my locker and said "Good morning, Spencer" and then he shook my hand. I was amazed because he not only found the time to learn my name, learn my face, and remember it, but he shook my hand like I was an acquaintance or some kind of client instead as a student. Most teachers think of students as below them and his actions impacted me because he cared about me and the rest of his students. All 200-plus of them.

Mr. Wehner has been the assistant principal at my school for only a year but unlike most teachers, there has not been a single day were he has not walked in smiling. Mr. Wehner is always happy and is always willing to talk. He'll shake people's hands and wish them a happy Monday. If someone is sad he'll ask if they are OK and he hangs out in the cafeteria at lunch so he can talk to the eighth graders. I sometimes wonder how he does it and it's really a simple answer. He loves his job and his passion for teaching can be seen in the countless kids who become infected with a passion to learn.

Mr. Wehner is also one of the most interesting teachers at my school. He talked to me once about his past in teaching and he has taught all across the United States. He taught student interns in California. Then he moved to Vermont where he taught a group of kids who were going to drop out of high school. He inspired them and allowed them to go on field trips and adventures in order to find their passion to learn. He inspired each of them with the same dedication he shows today and kept 85% of them from dropping out of high school. He also taught in a New York school where he did not have enough desks for all of his kids. He now teaches at a school where there are enough computers for each kid to be on one all at the same time, which is one of the most amazing things that that he, as a teacher, has ever seen.

I love having Mr. Wehner at my school because he inspires me to try my best every day. He keeps a smile on my face. I think that he goes above and beyond the call of duty every day, and it means so much to me.