Throughout my life, I have had many different teachers who I have remembered in different ways. Some taught me how to present, others taught me, Shakespeare, a few taught me how to test taking, and some were just there. But one stands out to me more than the others.
When I enrolled in Christine Scharf's English class for my senior year, I had low expectations. Her reputation was tough. Nobody ever got an A. The readings were excessive. The summer project was infamous. It was a ton of work. She knew my father, who was a reputable educator himself, so I knew she would have high expectations for me. I was dreading being her student.
After the first day of class, I knew I adored Scharf. She treated us like adults and respected us as such, but was still dedicated to making us the best writers that we could be. She was passionate about the subjects that she was teaching us. She genuinely cared about us and our success in her class.
I could continue writing about how Ms. Scharf taught me to write on a college level, or that she taught me how to actually read and analyze academic material, but those were not the most memorable things about her.
My senior year of high school was incredibly hard for me. I was struggling with depression. Every day was a challenge for me to get out of bed and interact with people. I changed my class schedule so I was at school for the bare minimum that I could be while still being considered a full-time student. Some days I couldn't even bring myself to show up for the few hours that I had to be there. My grades slipped. I wanted to revoke my enrollment for my dream school.
Ms. Scharf noticed this, while even some of my closest peers did not. She reached out multiple times. She worked with me to get back on track. She refused to let me pull my enrollment. She told me things that I desperately needed to hear. She cared not only about my grades but my mental health. She cared about my future. She cared about my dreams. She cared about my career. She cared about my success, even outside of her classroom.
The compassion of Ms. Scharf has stayed with me, two years later, just as I predict it will throughout my life. She has shaped how I view academics, writing, but most importantly, myself. She believed in me when I thought nobody else did. Her passion and dedication have made her stand out from any other teacher I have ever had. Any student who is able to experience her as their teacher is more than lucky. I am blessed to have been able to have her in my life.
