Teachers have the power to change how one student views school. From those with welcoming spirits who have the power to leave a positive impact on all kids, and those who scar kids with negative experiences. I have had both types of teachers throughout my life, and from experience, the good definitely outweighs the bad.
From kindergarten to third grade, I absolutely despised going to school. I cried every morning and hated every minute of being there. However, I strongly believe that this was because my teachers never properly encouraged me to do better in school. I always saw my peers being praised by my teachers for all their hard work, but I never received the same praise. Instead, I was always sent to the back of the room to finish work or had to stay in during lunch or recess since it took me longer to understand certain concepts. I felt stupid and pushed to the outskirts by those who should have been there for me, but that all changed in the fourth grade.
After third grade, I prayed and prayed that I would get this amazing teacher, Mr. Reilly. Everyone who had him talked about how awesome and fun he was. I always saw him encouraging his students after lunch and getting them excited for the next lesson! I told my mom about him and without me knowing, she went to the principal’s office and asked if I could have him for fourth grade (isn’t she the best mom ever?)! Safe to say, fourth grade remains my favorite school year ever. Mr. Reilly encouraged me whenever I did badly on my tests. He made it known that it’s okay to make mistakes and all we can do is learn from them. That pushed me to review all my mistakes and try harder on the next test, which was a technique I never learned before. Whenever I would get in fights with my friends that left me crying during recess, he would always watch out for me and hear my side of the story. I gained so much confidence in my reading ability that I tried out for the lead in the school play that year and I got it! All of these may seem like small things to some, but I had never had a teacher hear me out and help me improve in school like my fourth grade teacher did. There’s one story of his that he constantly told all of his students: when he was in school, he never received the proper encouragement from his own teachers. This caused him to fail math even though he knew he could pass. This pushed him to become a teacher to challenge students to always do their best. I always thought to myself that if my teacher can stand here and teach math even though he was once terrible at it, I could one day be a great writer and reader even though I was terrible at it during this time. I can proudly say that I would not be the student I am today without the welcoming spirit of my fourth grade teacher. All of the lessons I learned still help me today as I continue through college.
This article is for the teachers who hear their students out like Mr. Reilly did and always encourage their students to be better. You make the world a better place!
