Mrs. C. was the type of teacher who was inclined to tell you just what she thought, whether you wanted to hear it or not. It was a clash of the unwilling student and the unwavering teacher. I was not pleased to have a teacher that thought she knew more about me then I knew about myself.

Mrs. C. must have seen something in me that at the time, I did not see in myself. I carried her words with me even when I was no longer in her class. Words that were spoken by Mrs. C were not empty, they were life lessons that at the time I appreciated, but not to the extent that I do now. Her oft-repeated phrases included:

"If you have a love for writing, hold onto it."

"Do what makes you happy and forget what anyone else says."

"You're only hurting yourself if you turn in an assignment that was completed half-heartedly."

Mrs C.’s advice stayed with me over time. My favorite was, "You have so much potential and eventually you're going to realize just how much." That statement about potential, the kind that seems to be a cliché spoken among many teachers, coming from Mrs. C., stuck with me.

Mrs. C was not an ordinary teacher and she made me want to learn again. I started making an effort and realized that if one teacher took the time to tell me that I had a future, maybe it was true. She listened when I spoke, explained why an essay that I spent hours on did not make the grade, and was relentless in forcing me to do well. While I hated her giving me a bad grade and had no problems voicing my resentment, I secretly knew that I deserved the poor grade because she was always fair.

Making an effort to succeed in school became important again and it felt like my future was a reason for me to try.

Years after graduation from high school, I decided to pursue writing as a career. Mrs. C's words stay with me and inspire me today. When I want to give up, her words remind me that even during such a negative time in my life, someone took the time to try to bring out the best in me. Teachers don’t often hear "Thank you" and rarely realize the impact that they have on the fragile minds around them. On days when teachers are feeling less than important, I hope they realize that at least one life can change for the better because of a few simple phrases. There is no greater and more powerful job than that of a teacher.

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