Mrs. Kostopoulos was my very favorite teacher at Lincoln Park High School. She was our Sophomore Honors English class teacher.

She was always upbeat and happy and made everything sound fun and interesting. We read one of my favorite novels of all time in her class, To Kill A Mockingbird. I always remember her sitting on one of the student desks in front of the class as we discussed things in class. This was the first time I ever had a teacher do that, as if she really wanted to connect to us and didn't like the distance of her desk between us.

Mrs. Kostopoulos always had this energy around her as if she wanted to will all of the knowledge she had into us. She always had time for us if we had a problem or question, no matter how busy she was. She was also the Yearbook coordinator and made me want to join the Yearbook Committee, which I really didn't know anything about.

Mrs. Kostopoulos was an awesome teacher and role model! When I decided to switch majors from psychology to teaching, I went back to Lincoln Park and asked her if I could observe her class for school and interview her. Of course, she said,"Sure!"

If I can reach just one of my students the way she touched me, then I know I am a great teacher! I will always remember Lincoln Park and Mrs. Kostopoulos and I am extremely grateful to her and all of my CPS teachers for making the difference in my life!