Laura Mullen is an 8th grade teacher at Murphy Middle School. She teaches honors English and on-level reading. I assume that I am writing from the perspective of all of her students when I say that she has changed the way we look at the world. She has the magic touch that teachers before her haven’t discovered.

When you step into her classroom, you feel welcomed, comfortable, and open to learn. She has so many seating options that it’s possible I’m forgetting a few. She has regular chairs, “rolly” chairs, yoga balls, pillows ranging from small to body-sized, bean bags, and loveseats. We have the freedom to sit where we choose as long as we choose responsibly.

She is the most patient teacher in the school. She never gives unnecessary punishments, and will always listen to what we think we need from her/the class. She has a late work log, which can be signed if you are not finished with any assignment, ranging from a daily grade to a 1,000 word essay. All the students in her class are more likely to follow the rules because these freedoms are given.

A lesson in Mrs. Mullen’s classroom is almost like an extracurricular activity. She always finds a way to make each assignment interesting. When we are reading a book out loud, she reads it with personality. She exposes us to mature, appropriate material that really opens our eyes to the world around us. We have done so many group projects that have taught us English along with social skills and world understanding. For example, the utopia project. In the first semester, we were assigned the task of creating the perfect society. We were given no limitations, except our imaginations. What we didn’t know was that we would end up examining today’s society and trying to find ways to address the problems we found. Of course, she did not state that in the instructions, but she led us along the right path to achieve more out of the assignment.

Although Mrs. Mullen is an incredible teacher, her distinction goes much farther. She is the English department head and the grade’s team leader. She connects information throughout all three grades on the subject. Without her, the English classes across the entire school of 1,230 students would not be able to run smoothly.
Mrs. Mullen is the leader of the National Elementary Honor Society(NEHS) and National Junior Honor Society(NJHS) for the school. She sends recommendation letters, takes applications, chooses members, and hosts all of the ceremonies. She also attends and facilitates the before and after school meetings. She tallies all of the members’ volunteer hours, and sends out reminders if anything is missing or needed from a member. She reads the officer applications and chooses the best of the best each year to lead the incoming NJHS chapter. She also nominated multiple members for the NJHS Outstanding Achievement Award, and the majority of the members nominated got a $500 scholarship. She executes and participates in all of the service projects, and makes sure they run smoothly.

Mrs. Mullen is also one of the school’s head coordinators for the Poetry Slam. She advertises it to her students, and to the whole school. She will give critiques at dress rehearsals, and really help your performance grow. She was a sacrificial poet(a performer who starts the round and gives the judges a trial run) for both our two-voice and single-voice categories. In fact, this year she partnered with her daughter for a two-voice, and it was one of my favorite performances of the night. Afterwards, she and her daughter sat down and tallied the scores.
Not only is she a superhero for the school, but she is a leader in the community as well. She is the leader of her 4th grade daughter’s girl scout troop. She holds meetings with multiple girl scouts often, goes on camping trips, sells cookies, all the while raising three kids, one with Autism. Her son wanted to join a taekwondo class, but he couldn’t participate without an older guardian, so Mrs. Mullen, as busy as she is, signed up. She is now a black belt in taekwondo, and her relationship with her son is thriving.

Mrs. Mullen may shine in everything she does, but nobody is a true hero without the passion to change somebody’s life. Because of her, I have found the incredible passion to write. She was actually the one who introduced Teen Ink to me. So, ironically, without her guidance, I wouldn’t have written this essay. She has taught me what it means to be a true leader. I started off the year as the CEO of NJHS thinking I was supposed to be in control, and came out with the wisdom and the power of delegation. Through her, I have gone through serious self-discovery. I have become a better person by watching her lead. She has inspired me to help others the way she does-passionately and genuinely. Even though she might not know it, she has helped me through many rough patches in my life. Laura Mullen is truly a hero.