BELLEVIEW, Fla. — Inside Marion County teacher Brian Stephenson's classroom, students hang onto his every word.

With a little bit of humor, he makes his European history lessons at Belleview High School relatable. In fact it was Stephenson's own grandfather who influenced him to eventually become a teacher.

"He always challenged me to think differently, purposefully, just to see there's two different sides to issues," he said.

Stephenson takes his students on all kinds of field trips so they can see history come alive. They've seen the Broadway musical Hamilton and traveled to the very spot of a civil rights march in Montgomery, Alabama.

"We can learn from the history of each other and that always inspires me to constantly be learning, he said."

Stephenson is one of five finalists for Marion County's veteran teacher of the year too.

We asked him if he ever thought teaching would be his career.

He laughed, saying, "Actually, no. I remember looking back and thinking I was not the best student whenever I was in high school."

Stephenson believes that has helped him motivate his students to do better.

"I love what I do — that's my passion," he said.