One Good Teacher

Every year before the first day of school we would go shopping for new clothes and school supplies. While my brother and sisters rummaged through the department stores looking at clothes I would always sneak away and head straight for the school supplies. I have always loved the smell of lead on pencils, erasers, and paper. 

 School has already started for some and for some school is about to start soon. When I was very young I loved school, I got good grades and I even remember some of my teachers names. This all changed when I started Junior high school and my parents decided to build a house in the country. We moved away and this city mouse did not fit in well with the country mice.  After a year of being beaten up and bullied I got tough and one day I decided to ignore my mothers advice and I beat up the biggest bully of all. Needless to say, I got suspended from school and my new attitude created quite a stir in this little community. Skinny little blond girl stopped playing with “Barbies” and listening to the “Monkey’s.” I traded them out with knives and “Grand Funk Railroad.” I hung out with the BAD crowd and even helped organize a school lock-out because of teachers like this:

We all cope with puberty and school in different ways. Fortunately for me I discovered a new teacher during one of many stays in detention who lead me to gymnastics, which led to horseback riding, which led to choir and school musicals. So you see there may be times when your children do not think they need an education. Times when they struggle to find themselves and times when you just want to give up. All children really need is a cause, something to make them not want to give up learning. It happened to this “Rebel without a Cause” and all it took was one good teacher who took the time to see something more in me. 

Have any of you ever had a teacher like that?