Nothing But the Best!
I thought I was the perfect student. Hard work, attention to detail, focus, and respectful behavior were routine during my days as a student in the classroom. I wanted and needed a major scholarship to go on to a university. Correspondingly, I was rewarded with many "A"s for my efforts except for the dreaded class in Language Arts. It seemed that no matter how many extra hours I invested, the grade would remain a "B". This brought my GPA down to a 3.87. I was frustrated and angry. This frustration did not affect the standards that Mrs. Tranbarger set for her English class. She demanded more and more i.e. improvement in composition skills, accurate spelling and punctuation, and great comments in literary discussions. Finally the last semester of my senior year, my grade was an "A". What joy!
I did not go on after graduation from university to become a famous author, but I did go on to teach............math! This teacher raised the bar so that I could become anything and everything. My writing skills have been a lifesaver as I have progressed through multiple degrees.
I did get a chance to tell this educator how much I appreciated all that she did for me at a fundraiser of some sort years later. She only smiled knowingly. I hope that her standards and inspiration have become as much a part of who I am as the writing skills and love of literature.
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