Every high school student has one teacher that they feel a special connection with. Whether that teacher took time outside of the school day to help them bring their grades up or their classroom was a safe haven. If you took a poll at the high school I graduated from you would find many students had the same favorite teacher, one who was also mine. Being in that school from 7th-12th grade I can say I had a lot of amazing teachers that challenged me past what I thought were my limits. My 7th grade history teacher opened my eyes to a whole new side of the world, my 11th grade math teacher would spend hours after the final bell staying with students who needed extra help (me being one of them) and while I'll always remember these teachers it was my French teacher that its safe to say was my favorite.
During my freshman year we were given the opportunity to take a foreign language, the three options were French, Spanish, and German. Most of my friends either took French or Spanish and I chose French. I remember walking in on the first day and our teacher asked how many of us took the class because we wanted to learn French and how many took the class because they heard good things about her. I kind of raised my hand for both because don't get me wrong French seemed like an interesting language to learn, but one upperclassmen told me to do two things during my high school career; take French and join watershed, both of which I did.
The French language wasn't something I picked up on quickly but I instantly made a connection with my teacher. During my sophomore year she was the first person I told about my struggles with my eating disorder and because of her I reached out to my parents who got me the help I needed. My Junior Year I ended up taking law instead of French 3 and I was terrified she would be disappointed in me. Instead she understood my reasoning and I was still in her classroom every day that year. Of course when my senior year came I had to pick up where I left off and take French 3 because I didn't want to go another year without having her as a teacher.
There were days I would walk into her room crying over everything and nothing. Whether it was boy problems, eating issues, or academic struggles she always had the right advice to give. My favorite thing about my teacher is that she would point out when she didn't agree with what I was doing. If I went to her and told her about a fight with my boyfriend (this happened a lot) she would honestly tell me who she thought was in the wrong and I was never mad when she said it was me. I knew that meant she genuinely cared for me.
After I quit gymnastics, which was one of the toughest decisions I've ever made, she told me I looked relieved every day after. This was something I needed to hear from someone because I would hear how stupid it was to quit something I had been doing for 10 years or rumors of why I quit. When she told me this, I knew I had made the right decision.
When I think of what a teacher should be, I think of a role model who inspires and teaches kids daily and that's exactly what she is. Not only did she teach me French but she taught me so many life lessons that I'll cherish forever.
