With spring break just on the horizon, I was planning on going back to my high school to visit my old teachers. Though I know some people never want to step foot in their high school again, I had a pretty good high school experience, thanks to two of my teachers. My high school gifted advisor was there from the beginning, guiding me through academics and giving me a place to be in when I had problems. On the other hand, my AP US History teacher didn’t come around until junior year but soon became my favorite teacher. Between the two of them, there was a lot to learn, but there are seven major ideas that followed me to college.
1. How interesting history can be
Up until junior year, history class seemed to be the same thing over and over again. The pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower and Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. Even when it wasn’t about American History, it just seemed like memorizing names and dates. However, when I got to AP US History, my teacher made learning about the Revolution and the Civil War a lot more interesting. His passion for the subject made me want to learn and be interested as well. As a result, I’m minoring in Political Science, which is something I thought I’d never do.
(Photo courtesy of Jorge Alcala)
2. The real meaning of “home away from home”
Sitting in class for eight hours a day is enough to make anyone get tired of going to school. But when you have a place to go where nothing is ever the same, it becomes a lot more motivating to get up in the morning. I became really comfortable between both of my teachers rooms, having conversations with everyone in them and laughing. It felt like I was with family, so it was almost like I never left home in the first place.
3. How to develop trust
It’s not like I didn’t trust anyone before high school, I’m just really bad at fully trusting people. However, my gifted advisor gave me someone to confide in when I didn’t want to talk to my parents about something or it was about a school problem. He reminds me that there are people in the world that I can trust, I just have to be willing to find them.
(Photo courtesy of 胡 卓亨)
4. How to listen so the other person knows that they are heard
With the amount of people that filtered through his room, my gifted advisor had to be good at listening to people. But he took it farther than that because he wanted to listen. He cared about all of us and what we had to say, whether it was about a problem or just in regular discussion. No matter what was going on with him, he was always there to listen.
5. The definition of a safe space
Similar to numbers 2 and 3, being in either of my teachers rooms provided me with a sense of comfort. Their rooms were almost like a modified version of reality where my problems still existed, but I knew that whatever happened, I was going to be okay. This became a big concern for me when moving to college because I wouldn’t have that space anymore. Sometimes it would be nice to have it, but I make sure to utilize that space any time I go back home.
(This is a picture I took after being in my gifted advisor’s room for a Mock Trial practice.)
6. How powerful spite can be
I was certainly not the best student in my AP US History class. I struggled with a lot of the information and didn’t do well on tests. However, I was set on taking the AP test and scoring at least a three so I could get college credit. Many weren’t sure that I could do it but the more I heard doubt, the more I wanted to prove everyone wrong. I went into that test filled with spite and I came out on the other end with a three on the test.
7. How to believe
Most important of all, they taught me how to believe in myself. That I can do more than I ever think I can, I just have to push through and believe that I can do it. They taught me how to believe in others and how to show my support for them. And when I need it, they taught me that there are others who believe in me to accomplish everything that I want to.
(Photo courtesy of Jonathan Talbert)
I will always be grateful for the things that they have taught me and will carry these lessons for the rest of my life. I encourage you to reflect on your own life because you might discover lessons you never knew you were taught.