Page 32 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2026 - Online Magazine

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Senior
Senior

A Fine Way to Teach

Nelly Fine

by Johnathon Frintz

s the beginning of my journey in educational were at Desert Willow Elementary School in Carlsbad,
independence approaches, I reminisce on the New Mexico, when I had her in homeroom. A few of
Afoundation required to prepare me for a life my classmates and I had been transferred from another
of learning. Elementary school marks the initiation of class because of a rapid increase in student population
one’s embarkation on this journey, and it requires a surrounding a sudden oil boom, but Mrs. Fine adapted
special kind of teacher to lay a strong foundation for the quickly. She was a welcoming presence, executing
daunting challenge. My fourth and fifth grade teacher, interactive introductions and compelling consummate
Mrs. Nelly Fine, is exactly that: special. As a senior in respect. Her leadership created a sense of stability, crucial
high school, I have had an assortment of educators, for a room full of children—especially for a kid like me
but Mrs. Fine remains unparalleled in my mind. We who fought order and organization with passion.

Mrs. Fine proved her brilliance
in the craft of teaching, inspiring
creativity in my writing and
working with me to develop
my ideas with the incorporation
of captivating stories and fun
projects designed to promote
critical applications of our minds
into literature. One novel, Night
of the Spadefoot Toads, became my
gateway into creative writing.
Our assignment was to write
a story that existed parallel to
or within the universe of the
original story, and Mrs. Fine was
unrelenting in her encouragement
for our excellence. Prior to that
assignment, writing had been an
undesirable task, yet another thing
to do for a grade, but her simple
yet thought-provoking prompts
changed all that for me. Her
passion for encouraging progress
for her students demonstrates
what kind of teacher she is. I asked

32 Lubbock Senior Link