He Made a Difference in My Life

One of the suggested topics from the Ultimate Blog challenge was to honor someone whom we felt had made a significant difference in our lives. Although I have had several people in my life who meet that description; the one that came to mind first was my seventh-grade Math Teacher. I entered his class significantly behind the other students, due to laziness in memorizing multiplication tables and difficulty grasping the mathematical principles taught in my last year of elementary school. I was prepared to “skate by” at the bottom of the class, as I had done for the previous 2 to 3 years.

Bernard Shoen would have no part of that!! He made my parents purchase a Workbook for me and ensured I spent an appropriate amount of time studying in it 7 days a week. (He even supervised some of that time during breaks between classes.) By the end of the year, I was vying for the top grades in the class.

The important part of this wasn’t the grades; it was the sense of accomplishment he helped me achieve, and the mathematical foundation he gave me that has continued to be the backbone of my adult career. His support and belief in me allowed my life to take a completely different turn. My only regret is that I never understood the impact of the gift he gave me, and I didn’t thank him appropriately for all he had done for me. I hope that deep down; He knew….

Tags: Career Foundation, Math, Teachers