A beloved New Jersey teacher leaves a lasting mark on his students

Well, we officially made it to the end of another school year. Summer break has officially arrived and students won't be returning regularly to the classroom again until after Labor Day in September.

As for the teachers? Well, what can I say? You once again got our kids through another year of education, and I myself can't thank you enough for it.

And while I'd love to be able to highlight every single teacher in the Garden State, there's one in particular that made a huge impact on my son. Not just him, but many students throughout the year.

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Unfortunately, this particular teacher was unable to finish the year out, having left the classroom toward the end of March. And although the reasons surrounding his sudden departure and retirement are uncertain, he deserves a public shoutout for everything he's done in the classroom.

A special teacher

Mr. Filoso was a 4th grade teacher for my son's class. From the very start you can tell he was different.

He not only taught the kids, he got to know each and every one of them personally. On top of that, he genuinely cared about his students in a way you don't normally see.

A prime example is during school pickup. If he saw you, he would walk right over and start talking about how impressed he was with your child. Even the little things were highlighted that are often overlooked.

Unexpected departure

My son also couldn't say enough good things about him. And all this positivity showed in my sons grades. He went to school happy knowing his favorite teacher would be there.

That is, until he wasn't. For personal reasons, Mr. Filoso had to end his school year unexpectedly early and go into retirement, which left my son heartbroken. It took awhile for the school to pick up the pieces, but they eventually got there and found a sub to finish out the year.

The kids all loved him

As it turned out, our son wasn't the only one impacted by this. Both my sons classmates as well as those who have had them before were saddened by his departure.

Toward the end of the year, his class wrote thank you cards that got delivered right to his home. Almost the entire class of kids felt the same way about Mr. Filoso, which is a testament to not only what kind of teacher he was, but what kind of human being he is.

Thank you, Mr. Filoso, for having such an amazing impact on my son, as well as so many others throughout your teaching career. Hopefully we'll see you around town soon.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.