ORANGE CITY, Fla. — Steven Stevenson said he was inspired to become an A+ Teacher when he was 19 years old and asked to teach a Bible study class at church for a few second-graders. He was hooked.

Stevenson said he likes to set a positive tone for the learning process at Orange City Elementary School in Orange City.

For him, there truly is no other place he'd rather be.

"I'm kind of crazy, you know? We like to have fun and joke around with them,” he said. “I like to make things interesting.

"I just try to make things come alive. I think there's a lot of theatrics involved with teaching. You know, you have to get loud. You have to get quiet. You have to stand on desks sometimes. You have to do whatever it takes to keep their attention."

The parent of two of his former students nominated Stevenson for the patience he shows each student.

That parent wrote to Spectrum News 13, saying, "He works so hard for our kids, stays late to tutor students and stays even later planning for his class. He helps out with PTA events all the time! His classroom management skills are amazing! I have been on field trips with the class, and he never has to get upset or raise his voice. The kids behave when corrected."

She went on to write, "He has many educational tools he uses to really help kids succeed. My daughter has a learning disability, and he helped her feel great about herself and love learning, as well as supported her learning needs and she was able to soar! My son has also had a great year with Mr. Stevenson. He is blooming in second grade! He was adopted through foster care and can have some challenging behaviors, but Mr. Stevenson is kind and firm and my son is doing great with him! He really makes learning fun and creates curious learners."

Stevenson said his temperament is to be patient.

“They're kids,” he said. “They're little humans, you know? They're kids. They need time to develop. We all make mistakes."

Stevenson said his biggest inspiration is late mother, Sharon.

“She helped me so much through my career, and I owe her a great debt of gratitude,” he said. “She was so special to me, and I think of her often when I need encouragement."

She wasn't the only one, though.

"To be honest with you, I don't know if you want to put this on the news or not. The show, 'The Little House on the Prairie,' like, I just loved that show as a kid,” Stevenson said. “I just always loved the scenes at the school and the high jinks and things that were going on at the school. It's always been a little thing in the back of my head that teaching would be fun."

Stevenson added, "This is my home. I love my co-workers and students. We are family. I want to finish my career at this school."