I think it’s safe to say that I have had a good academic career up until this point. Elementary, middle school, and high school all of which I have experienced have helped shape me into the person I am today. Granted, through all those experiences I have had my trials and tribulations. I have had my ups and downs. But through it all, I stuck it through, and that was because I had people in my corner who helped me get through those times. The only thing is there is really no definitive moment in my journey upon which I can give all the credit to just one person. I never really had a Mr. Miyagi in my life to keep me afloat like in the movie, The Karate Kid but I did have people who were willing to help when needed. This essay is not just for one person but for all the teachers and people who have helped me throughout my whole academic career.
We can start at elementary school when I was in the third grade. At that time, I was young, goofy, and immature. However, I was focused enough to drag myself through the year thanks to the help of one very strict but very caring teacher named Ms. Benston. She played no games and despite her nurturing demeanor she always held education and taking care of one’s business above anything else. She cultivated relationships with students very well, and her approach was much closer to that of a parent than a teacher. When you misbehaved you knew she was visibly disappointed and you could always tell by the look she gave you. It was like the look of a disappointed parent or mother who was embarrassed by her mischievous child.
Still, at the end of the day, I knew it was all in good favor because I believed she looked out for my best interest as a student and a young man. I say these things because I was one of the ones whom she cultivated the closest relationships with, at least from my memory. She was knowledgeable in a lot of subjects she taught in class, and she knew my strengths and weaknesses. She knew I was good in reading but terrible at math. It’s all funny because it takes me back to a story when at that time the Taks test was coming up. Taks time was the most dreaded time of my academic career not just because you’re forced to sit in a room for numerous hours and go through a nearly 100-page book of problems and questions, but more so because I dreaded the math portion of the Taks test. Now I don’t really remember If she helped me as far as the math thing is concerned all I could really remember was focusing on reading during that time as that was my strength. When it was finally time to take the test, I received a commended performance on the reading portion of the Taks test. It was one of the proudest moments of my young life or life period. I also received a medal to validate my accomplishment. However, the most impactful moment at that time was when I was told of how well I did by Ms. Benston and she exuberantly expressed how proud she was of me. She even gave me a hug. It was one of the happiest days of my life. I was on top of the world, little did I know that world was about to come crumbling down. I don’t know If it was the next day or a little while after but when I remember taking the math portion of the Taks test I don’t remember it being a pleasant experience and matters only got worse when I received the results later. I don’t know how emphatically I failed but I knew I failed. I balled out crying head in my hands right in front of the classroom for all my classmates to see. The coldest part of all was the fact that the table I was sitting at was close to Ms. Benston’s desk and can I remember her just sitting there doing paper work as if she didn’t notice my distress. She knew I was crying as I was right in front of her but It’s like she decided to ignore me anyway, her head down steadfast in the paper work. All sudden it was a complete flip the happiest day of my life dramatically turned into the worst day of my life. However, as I recollect about that day I realized that it was just tough love. She wasn’t going to baby me or coddle me. I think in her mind she knew I would get over it and bounce back. I think in that moment she was trying to teach me that when life knocks you down you can’t just sit there cry and expect people to walk up to and pick you up. Rather you simply must dust yourself off get up and persevere.
The next person I want to talk about was a person who mentored me in middle school and his name was Mr. Scoggins. He was a great man, as he was a math teacher, and basketball coach. He was honorable, humble, and he was a very caring person. He was the type of person that you would want your son to resemble, and the type man of whom you would want your daughter to marry. To me, he was the consummate professional and gentlemen. In all honesty, he was the symbol of moral integrity to me, and most importantly he was a man of God. He too along with Mrs. Benston took the role of a teacher beyond what it was traditionally meant to be and looked out for beyond the academic interest of the students he taught. He wanted to mold young men specifically for the outside world to be God fearing and productive citizens who would one day give back to their communities as well by way of mentorship. When not talking about school related topics he would take the time to educate us on real life matters that we would have to eventually face. I’m pretty sure he did the same for the basketball team he coached, and that’s the thing he wasn’t just a basketball coach but he was a life coach as well. I knew that he expected the best out of me and he knew that I knew as well. He pushed me as well as others to not settle but to excel in class. His subject that he taught was math the subject that I struggled with for most of my academic career. He was very helpful in this subject and I did experience some success in his class. I think there was even one period in the year where I had a 90 as my overall grade in his class granted I did not maintain it for very long but none the less I still gave myself a pat on the back. I averaged probably around or c or b in class so I did alright. Still, all in all, he was a very good teacher and even more importantly a very good person. It’s funny I brought basketball up because that was something I also wasn’t very good at in middle school, and he knew it. During that time, a participated in a basketball program at the YMCA and I invited him to one of my games. He was very supportive and made the time in the schedule to come see me play. Granted my team lost and I voiced my disappointment but he didn’t care because he appreciated the fact that I tried and that to me meant more than the game itself, just knowing that it didn’t matter how well I played or if I won or lost, he still cared enough to come see me play and support my dreams and goals. That to me is one of the most impactful things I’ve had happen in my young adult life.
High school was a bit of an adjustment period so to speak. You know that saying new level new devil well to a lesser degree that’s what high school was. It’s there that I realized that coddling and hand holding of young students would soon come to end, as I was to be held responsible for more things than I was back in middle school. There were more liberties but at the same time even higher stipulations. My freshmen year of high school was one of my best years academic wise. It was one of those years I was intensely focused on academics and it showed month after month particularly in report cards. It was also one the few years where I liked all my teachers. Not only that but they also seem to be aware of academic talents. Mr. Kelly a very smart man was my biology teacher. He took quick notice of how I excelled in his class and he held me in high regard as someone who was reliable. He was also quick to give out advice on the side if he felt it necessary. He was of the teachers who boosted my confidence. The next person was my English teacher, Ms. Elliot. She was amazing. She had a certain zeal about herself that was contagious and I was inspired by it. She too like Mr. Kelly took notice of how focused I was academically. In a way, I kind of thought of myself as her unofficial teacher’s pet. I don’t think there was ever a time in her class that I disappointed her in any way academically or behavior wise. I almost always did well on her test and I she took a liking to my academic performance as well. She applied more of a tough love, approach to mentoring students. She wasn’t going to spoil you, she wasn’t going to coddle you. If you excelled in her class she would take notice and congratulate you but she wasn’t going to pander to you or make you feel privileged because you were a good student. She played no games and took no nonsense from anyone and that to me was her most identifying quality. She to me Is one of those teachers I’ll never forget because it was her along with the rest of my freshmen teachers that nominated me for freshmen awards at a meeting one day at school for academic excellence. When I received my prize, it was one of the most gratifying times of my life, but even more gratifying than that was to know that I had the nod of approval from my teachers who believed in me. From that point on I had the confidence to conquer anything and that is why I am in college today because of conquering the obstacles in elementary, middle school and high school. My approach to overcoming the obstacles is All faith and no fear, and therefore I am now a student at the University of Houston major in Mechanical Engineering.
