In today's Children's First Report, the final Golden Apple Award winner for 2006 is making history as he teaches it, by getting students to enjoy school.

When Patrick Werner graduated from Virginia Tech, he didn't think teaching was in his future, but that soon changed.

"Both of my parents were teachers, so growing up, getting to see former students that come up or seeing the impact that they have on other people's lives, at the time I didn't realize it, but once I got out in the job force and did a lot of different types of work, I really wanted to make a difference in other people's lives," stated Patrick, an 8th grade social studies teacher at Thomas Harrison Middle School.

Making a difference is exactly what students say Werner is doing. "He makes social studies fun, and he does a lot of power points, which I like and he has discussions that, like he explains all the stuff that we need to know," says Aidan Newcity, a student at Thomas Harrison Middle School.

While he's teaching students the curriculum they need to know, Werner says he hopes he is also impacting their lives. "Content is important,” he says. “I enjoy teaching history and government,, but being able to get the kids to understand that it's more about the idea of water, idea of knowledge, about learning and loving to learn, and the importance of making the correct decisions in their lives."

"When he teaches, I guess you could say that he kind of connects with the student, and he's nice and he's like a really cool teacher," says Christine Choi, a student at Thomas Harrison Middle School.

It may have taken Werner a little while to decide to pursue a career in education, but after being at Thomas Harrison Middle School for seven years, he now knows he's right where he belongs. "This is my calling, I know this is where I'm supposed to be, I know I make a difference in these kids lives, that's why I'm here," he says.