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This story originally appeared at Shareably by Alissa Haskell.

We have favorite teachers for different reasons: one has a spot-on way of teaching even the hardest concepts that everyone in class is motivated, one cracks the coolest jokes and understands pop culture references, occasionally incorporating them in lessons, one organizes fun field trips, and one simply takes time to understand each student and extends empathy and patience.

Regardless of the reason, there’s no denying it’s teachers like these who make going to school even more enjoyable (or for some, tolerable). How else will you push yourself to excel if your educator doesn’t build a healthy learning environment where you can thrive? Teachers always go the extra mile to inspire their students and get them to fully understand and appreciate each lesson, just like Verónica Duque.

Source: Twitter: mikemoratinos

Duque is a 43-year-old educator who teaches natural and social science, art, English, and Spanish. What makes her stand out? The unique way she gets her students to really sit up, listen, and pay attention. Currently teaching third graders, Duque wanted to elevate her students’ learning experience but the ideas weren’t coming in until she came across something interesting online.

“I was surfing the internet when an ad of an AliExpress swimsuit popped up. Knowing how hard it is for kids this young to visualize the disposition of internal organs, I thought it was worth it giving it a try,” she shared.

Source: Twitter: mikemoratinos

Michael, the teacher’s proud husband, was so in awe of her thoughtful approach to teaching and connecting with the kids that he couldn’t help but share the story online. His tweet gained over 70K likes and more than 14K retweets.

Source: Twitter: mikemoratinos

After tweeting photos of Duque in the full body suit, a number of users mentioned how they were reminded of Slim Goodbody, a costumed character created by John Burstein. The costumed character is known for championing children’s health. Kids worldwide love watching him on Discovery Education.

At the rate Duque is going, her popularity just might skyrocket, too!

Constantly applauded for her creative efforts, the teacher says she’s not going to stop coming up with fresh ways to make classes interesting. “I decided long ago to use disguises for history lessons,” she said.

She went on, “I’m also using cardboard crowns for my students to learn grammatical categories such as nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Different grammar kingdoms, so to say. I’d like society to stop considering teachers to be lazy bureaucratic public servants. We’re certainly not.”

Source: Twitter: mikemoratinos

So if school’s been getting you down and you start dreading certain classes, let Duque remind you of just how much effort goes into each class and how determined teachers are to make each lesson enjoyable and meaningful for you.

Kudos to Duque and educators like her who insist on making the classroom a happier place for learning!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Bored Panda, Twitter

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