Teachers

Today I began reminiscing about people. I thought first about teachers that had taught me all those years ago. I thought about the ones who left me with lasting impressions of various things and lessons to carry through my life. I thought about the ones I liked, the ones I loved and the ones I didn't care for. I can name all of my teachers right up until junior high. After that the only ones that I remember are the special ones (some are good special and some not so much). By the time college rolled around you had to be really good or really bad to get more than a mediocre label in my memories. I thought I would share about some of my favorites because they truly have changed my life.

My Kindergarten Teacher: Ms. Godwin

When I think of her I think of smiles and hugs. She was genuinely one of the kindest, sweetest women I've ever had the pleasure to know. Though beginning school and going away from Mommy for the first time can be daunting to any five year old I was lucky enough to have Ms. Godwin there to help me make that transition to attending school. She helped me begin a foundation in school that will eventually put me in a great place educationally, and for that I appreciate her immensely.

My 8th Grade English Teacher: Mrs. Gonzaga

I will honestly say I despised this woman most of the time I was in her class. She was constantly on me to push harder, to do better and to stop passing notes. She even tried giving me detention once but I got out of it, lol. It took a few years after graduating eighth grade for me to realize that as much of a pain in the a$$ Mrs. Gonzaga seemed to be, she pushed me hard and I learned and progressed so much in her class. I was so used to teachers leading us step by step and only having to do just enough to complete the assignment to get the grade. She was the first teacher I had who made me push my limits in order to produce the best result possible. A lesson I will surely take with me through my life.

My Sophomore Spanish 2 Teacher: Mrs. Ball

Mrs. Ball was a young teacher. She started teaching the same year I started high school. Though Mrs. Ball was about 8 years older we were similar in personality and it turned out we had a lot of the same difficulties with our parents. My sophomore year was really hard on me emotionally and Mrs. Ball was one of the main reasons I survived it with any sense of sanity. To this day we remain close friends and I will forever appreciate her friendship and her many hours listening to me over the years.


My Freshman College General Biology Teacher: Ms. Hurd

I was not a Biology major. I had always enjoyed science but I was just taking the gen bio course to complete a general ed requirement. Her class made me realize not only how much I loved science but that I was good at it. I blew her class out of the water and she talked to me individually about pursuing a science degree. Her mentoring made it much easier for me to change from a business major to a science major.

There are of course other teachers who impacted me but these four stand out for me.