Me, Math Teacher? Part 1

When I was in 7th grade, I was not a very good student. I remember going in the day after school got out to clean the crap out of the rabbit cage in my science teacher's class to earn a few points extra credit, just so I could bump my grade up to a D. I even got a B- in my one quarter of Wood Shop, and I think that was only because the teacher was the football coach and he wanted to make sure I was academically eligible the next year.

The following fall I tagged along with my brother Chris when he went to his zero period Leadership class. He always got a ride to school, and I was too lazy to walk. The Leadership teacher let me sit in the back of the room and "do nothing" while the students in class were planning to solve all of the school's problems. Every now and again she would come back and ask me some questions about my classes, friends and the like. She probed me as to why I chose to perform poorly in my classes, and made it clear that she was not judging me, but just curious.

After a few weeks, she asked me to try something in one of my classes. She said, when the teacher asks the class to grab a textbook from the front of the class, turn to a certain page, read the section and answer the questions, that she wanted me to be the first to grab the book and at least "look-like" I was working hard. She did not ask me to complete the assignment, just look-like I was completing the assignment. Then she wanted me to "nonchalantly observe" how the other students in the class responded. She had brought me a doughnut on this very day, so I felt like I owed her one.

I followed her instructions and observed. The students that usually goofed off with me during "work-time" each grabbed a book and started working. Students who would normally work, then talk, then work and talk. The "ebb and flow" students if you will, did not take a break from the work for their normal repartee. Could I have been the person to pull so many others "off task?" No way!

When I reported my observations the next day, and declared my innocence to the influence over others, the teacher agreed. I had nothing to do with the change in the class. But just to make sure, she asked that try it again in another class. Then again in another and another. Each time the classroom behavior changed when my actions changed. Each time I would come back and report my observations. Eventually we had a conversation about me as a leader. She said, "You are a natural leader. Students will follow your example. You can use this gift for good, or...(ominous silence) It's your choice."

With this teacher's help and guidance, I went from a student who barely passed 7th grade, to an 8th grader with a 3.88 GPA and was elected as ASB President. I knew then that I wanted to be a teacher! Thank you to Heather Sinclair for being that teacher!


(Me, Math Teacher? Part 2 Coming soon. Oh, and I will eventually tie this back into my weight-loss. Stick with me.)

2 month weigh-in: Down 7 more pounds in the last two weeks. Total of 39 pounds. Man I wanted to get to 40!

Thanks for your support!