ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orange County A+ Teacher is hitting all the right notes in the classroom. His students say his tempo and temperament is helping them learn together in perfect harmony.
With every single note, students blossom at Magnolia Center School in Orlando. Louis Mitchell is their music teacher.
“Some have cognitive, some have language, some have hearing, or behavioral disabilities,” he said.
Mitchell is nominated for his unique teaching style that instead focuses on their abilities, rather than disabilities.
Armando Luis Rial is one of Mitchell's students who said, “He's funny, energetic — he's nice to everybody, and we all love him."
Mitchell's students say he just knows how to reach them.
Born in Manhattan Mitchell says teaching is a subject he's been interested in for years.
He graduated from college with a music degree and had no idea about a career path until he came upon a chance encounter while job hunting in 1986.
He explained, "She said we're looking for people, and I looked around and said, ‘Well, I'm people,’ and she said, ‘Well, you're hired!’"
Mitchell said he developed a passion for teaching.
“I decided I think I'm going to do this, and the more I did it, the more I liked it,” he said.
Mitchell challenges his students too.
"I'm responsible for teaching these children all areas of music, even the areas they might not know. I play classical music, I play operas, quartets, I play symphonies," he explained.
And that's just part of the many reasons why so many say Mitchell is deserving of the A+ Teacher designation. Mitchell is humble and says it's not him — it's a team effort at Magnolia Center School.
"I don't think I would trade this for anything, because when you work with these kids you realize they are just as deserving as anybody else,” he said.