Naturally, there will be many teachers throughout one’s life, but there are those select few who really make an impact that lasts beyond the school year. Not only have I had these kinds of teachers, but I’ve been lucky enough to stay in touch with them long after I was their student. It’s difficult to list and give a proper spotlight to each of them, but given all the work they do, both professional and personal, I’ll do my best to honor and thank them as they deserve.
First of all, I must confess that I am one of those writers who absolutely “would not be the person/writer I am” without these teachers in my life. It all started back in fourth grade with Mrs. Benson, who first tapped me into my passion for writing. Although I was a very shy person at the time, Mrs. Benson and I were both bookworms who bonded over our shared love for the Harry Potter series. I was so in love with books that I thought one day, “What if I wrote my own book?”
I was determined to see it through, and I got inspiration from several science fiction movies including Back to the Future. Before I knew it, I had written a 40-page science fiction story about time travel. I was so excited to share it, but I knew the first person I had to show it to was Mrs. Benson. Of course, she was encouraging and supportive all around, and I decided from that day on that I wanted to pursue a career in creative writing.
My love for writing was established and developing, but once I entered high school, I found myself suddenly struggling to continue with it. High school, especially my freshman year, was difficult because I lost a lot of friends and that formed both a personal and creative block for me. I’ve always been a bit of a reserved student, but at that time, I went practically mute. I hardly interacted with people and I dreaded presenting and participating in class, but I did find some joy in Ms. Piñon’s class. I loved the stories she would share about her travels around the world and the assignments she would give us because they were usually very interesting, but I hardly let it show.
As time passed, she noticed that my work had a lot more potential than I expressed, so she began calling on me to participate in class. Eventually, I opened up to her about how I was feeling and how I felt so disconnected from the person and writer I used to be, so she gave me an assignment to write a sonnet in Romeo’s perspective. I didn’t know where to start, but then I found myself expressing his longing for Juliet as if it were my own longing for the friends I once had.
That may sound sad, but it was actually a pivotal moment for me and made me realize that I was stopping myself from making new friends and creating new work in high school. I could tell that Ms. Piñon really believed in me, so I started writing again, voluntarily participating in her class, and speaking to her outside of class. She’s become one of my closest mentors in school, and I’ve dedicated several creative and literary works in her honor as a way to repay her.
The third and last teacher I want to shout out who has stuck with me in life was my coach for a competition called Poetry Out Loud, Fernando Salinas. Although he technically wasn’t my teacher for any subjects in school, he did teach me public speaking skills and how to have more confidence in myself and has since helped me develop my writing in poetry. As I mentioned, I was a very shy person, but he helped me slowly but surely grow comfortable in the spotlight. When the competition finally happened, I did so well that I won both the school and county level, all because I was able to overcome my stage fright thanks to him.
Beyond the competition, Fernando got me involved in the local poetry community by inviting me to readings and supporting my participation in open mics. He took Mrs. Benson and Ms. Piñon’s support one step further by recommending me for the position of Ventura County Youth Poet Laureate, which I am now an ambassador for. With Fernando’s mentorship, I became aware of the many opportunities I previously would not have.
I’ve had a handful of other influential, inspirational teachers in my life, but these three are like my literary trinity. Because of them, I discovered my passion for writing, which has clearly grown as strong as I have throughout the years.