There's a lot to be said about where I'm from. To those who aren't from there but think they know it, they don't say a lot of nice things, and that even applies to many who live there. But whether or not you think you know Brockton, Massachusetts, there's a lot of good that lies within a city that doesn't always receive good publicity.

The most prominent being the teachers and staff working for Brockton Public Schools.

I've lived in Brockton my entire life, and as a rising college sophomore whose family is preparing to move out of the city, I can't help but think about all of the people I've come into contact here. For starters, I do not even want to think about where my life would be at if I didn't meet some of the people I did in school. I've made friends that are beyond loyal and true, and a diverse group of personalities, races, and ethnicities that know no boundary other than determining when we all can get together again during the school year. These kids range from Division 1 athletes, to talented artists and musicians, to brilliant Ivy Leaguers, to hardworking and family-oriented realists, you name it. Most of us can name at least three teachers when asked who inspired us to aim for what we achieved as school came to a close.

Plain and simple, every teacher that I've had in Brockton changed my life in some shape or form. Whether that meant getting me a little more interested in a subject I loathed, getting me to think about my future, or just getting me to think about things in general. Like many schoolchildren, sometimes it was difficult for me to try to get a grasp on the "big picture" in life when I was sitting at my desk doing an assignment.

But as time went on I was privileged with listening in on the advice that many of my teachers preached about the real world, the next big step in furthering our educations, and growing as a person overall. It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I knew for sure that I wanted to pursue a career in education, but if it weren't for the teachers I had from elementary leading up to graduating from high school, then I can't say I would have been so sure.

Brockton Public Schools epitomize what it means to make every single student matter, both in and out of the classroom. There are no favorites, preferences, or first choices of students among the faculty. This kind of mentality throughout the teachers of my elementary school, Brookfield, was what turned many of my peers into individualistic and talented leaders in high school. It makes me very proud (and not at all surprised) to say that many of my best friends from elementary school are still close with me to this very day. At Ashfield Middle School, I started to think about what it would be like to be a teacher one day. I had down-to-earth teachers who displayed the ability to mesmerize an entire classroom in a way that tied in relatable topics and references in even the oldest of history lessons. It seems like forever ago when I think back to the teachers I had 5th through 8th grade, but I've never forgotten all that I've learned from them and appreciated about them.

I know I speak for many of us when I say that there is something so special about Brockton High. It's a perfect storm of various professionals, intelligent minds, and kind souls that come together to oversee a large group of students filled with pride, dreams, and a sense of community like no other. I'd imagine almost every teacher in that school has changed at least one student's life for the better, and they wouldn't even know it. That's just apart of their job. But there's also teachers that do know it, and never take it for granted. I've been lucky enough to build friendships with many of my former teachers at BHS, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that they prioritize to keep in touch with regardless of the years that have gone by. There's been talk of Brockton putting charter schools in the city, which is incredibly ironic.

Charter schools go against the pillars of Brockton Public Schools in the sense that the acceptance of students revolves around "a random, public lottery." They claim to be of a higher quality then public schools, operating in Massachusetts "under five year charters granted by the Commonwealth's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education", which massively takes away from the extra curricular clubs and athletics that allow students to build character and leadership skills away from the classroom (doe.mass.edu). After doing my research on these schools, I felt that Brockton deserved much better. But the thing is, Brockton already has much better.

There's so many teachers that I would like to thank for all that they've taught me and inspired me to chase after. I look forward to eventually returning one day with a certificate to teach my own classroom, and hopefully inspire someone who's just as proud as I am to call the City of Champions home.