I was just thinking about this yesterday, not knowing that it's actually Teacher's Day today
In a rare occasion in high school, I handed an assignment in World Literature. It was an essay on e.e. cummings' "Maggy, Milly, Molly and May". I wasn't a conscientious student--I only submitted assignments half the time and rarely participated in class discussions. I'd review a day before the major exams not with the intention to ace them, but just so I wouldn't fail. Despite this, I was in the school paper and I was a track-and-field athlete, so I didn't think I was a "bad" student. But I think I often felt that classes were a waste of my time back then.
My teacher didn't know who I was. I was never popular and I didn't stand out. And yet there he was, holding my Literature essay, bothered that it was so good, but not even knowing the kid who wrote it existed (he told me this later). He looked up my records in his class and found out it was the first assignment that I ever handed in. (It was literally the only record of my existence in his class.)
The next day, he pulled me aside to talk to me. He told me that despite this very, very good essay that was the best one he'd read so far from the junior class, I had a very low average in his subject. The reason being that until that assignment, all my other marks were of course 0 because I hadn't handed anything before then. Normally, I wouldn't have worried--I was usually like this and I would make up the marks later on because I knew I do quizzes and exams well enough and those would pull my average up. But this teacher was so concerned about having a student that was not living up to her potential. No teacher had ever bothered before--to talk to me and ask me to pay attention to my own smarts and to do something about it. To not just be a mediocre student when I could obviously be more. I felt surprised, then chastised, but I also felt that I didn't want to disappoint him.
He was so loathe to let my bad record go on that he gave me a chance to write a major make-up essay. Now that he knew me and knew how well I could write, I pressured myself to come up with something just as good. I ended up writing a full book report that was several pages long instead of just a 2-3 page essay because that was how bad I didn't want to disappoint him (he even told me later the report was university-worthy). It's the only time I can remember that someone expected better from me in high school. So you can be sure that from then on, I handed every essay in, and I exhausted all my efforts (this was before Google and SparkNotes) to make them the best I could possibly write. He would comment thoroughly on my writing and that encouraged me. At the end of the term, I got an A in his class.
High school World Lit was years ago but I always find myself thinking back on those days every now and then. They had a huge impact on me because I remember how differently I had felt, how I had pushed myself into action just because someone believed in me. It was as if I had been sleeping or just floating along and someone shook me awake. Sometimes, I wonder, do teachers know how many lives they're able to shape or change? That the most important lesson they can ever teach is how to make their kids believe in themselves? Teachers, I think, have the most important job in the world. (You should be paid more). And I love you guys. Thank you for inspiring us, for pushing us to constantly do better and for never giving up.
Happy Teacher's Day!
My teacher didn't know who I was. I was never popular and I didn't stand out. And yet there he was, holding my Literature essay, bothered that it was so good, but not even knowing the kid who wrote it existed (he told me this later). He looked up my records in his class and found out it was the first assignment that I ever handed in. (It was literally the only record of my existence in his class.)
The next day, he pulled me aside to talk to me. He told me that despite this very, very good essay that was the best one he'd read so far from the junior class, I had a very low average in his subject. The reason being that until that assignment, all my other marks were of course 0 because I hadn't handed anything before then. Normally, I wouldn't have worried--I was usually like this and I would make up the marks later on because I knew I do quizzes and exams well enough and those would pull my average up. But this teacher was so concerned about having a student that was not living up to her potential. No teacher had ever bothered before--to talk to me and ask me to pay attention to my own smarts and to do something about it. To not just be a mediocre student when I could obviously be more. I felt surprised, then chastised, but I also felt that I didn't want to disappoint him.
He was so loathe to let my bad record go on that he gave me a chance to write a major make-up essay. Now that he knew me and knew how well I could write, I pressured myself to come up with something just as good. I ended up writing a full book report that was several pages long instead of just a 2-3 page essay because that was how bad I didn't want to disappoint him (he even told me later the report was university-worthy). It's the only time I can remember that someone expected better from me in high school. So you can be sure that from then on, I handed every essay in, and I exhausted all my efforts (this was before Google and SparkNotes) to make them the best I could possibly write. He would comment thoroughly on my writing and that encouraged me. At the end of the term, I got an A in his class.
High school World Lit was years ago but I always find myself thinking back on those days every now and then. They had a huge impact on me because I remember how differently I had felt, how I had pushed myself into action just because someone believed in me. It was as if I had been sleeping or just floating along and someone shook me awake. Sometimes, I wonder, do teachers know how many lives they're able to shape or change? That the most important lesson they can ever teach is how to make their kids believe in themselves? Teachers, I think, have the most important job in the world. (You should be paid more). And I love you guys. Thank you for inspiring us, for pushing us to constantly do better and for never giving up.
Happy Teacher's Day!