I have been a teacher for 20 years now, and I have seen many great teachers. Mrs. Thien is certainly one of the best I have observed. My son began in her lab class for remediation due to low ILearn scores. Mrs. Thien was the first teacher who was able to convince my son that he could not only improve his scores, but his education and school experience with his own effort and learning. She challenged him and his classmates to push themselves to grow and develop skills each day, moving him closer and closer to proficiency. For the first time, my son felt empowered to practice, struggle, grow and improve in ways that allowed him to perform to his full capabilities. Miles was able to demonstrate tremendous growth on ILearn and in his Language Arts class. Mrs. Thien's high expectations, motivation and encouragement, and connection with her students created the perfect environment for my son to excel. In addition to helping Miles grow as a student and improve his test scores, Mrs. Thien saw more potential in Miles. She suggested that we move Miles into an Honors Language Arts class to continue his growth. He has come to learn that he enjoys the demands and pace of the honors class. As a team, Miles, Mrs. Thien, and I are worked to close skill gaps as Miles acclimated to the rigor of his new class. Mrs. Thien was always available to help, answered questions, and provided additional resources for Miles. She kept me in the loop as a parent with timely and constructive feedback and truly partnered with me to ensure the best academic outcome for Miles. My son's academic growth is thrilling, however, I am most excited about the change I have seen in my son's confidence. He has blossomed into a more self-assured student who is more interested and engaged in school. He has loved the novels he has read for class and actually discusses what he is reading and learning, willingly, with me and my husband. Because Mrs. Thien could see him as an Honors student, he can see himself that way now. He is a more conscientious student and is becoming a bigger risk-taker, challenging himself with more rigorous classes in his schedule for next year. Mrs. Thien is a wonderful teacher for so many reasons. She is wonderful because she understands how to engage and motivate young people. She has figured out how to get middle schoolers to not only put forth their best effort, but to work to improve themselves. She is a wonderful teacher because she has a heart for kids and she can see the best in them. She is a wonderful teacher because she works to find ways to make meaningful and authentic connections with her students. She is a wonderful teacher because she partners with parents in their student's education. She is truly an adept and masterful teacher whose love for her students is undeniable.