Making A Difference

One Teacher Can Make a Difference

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be two things when I grew up: a mom and a teacher.
I remember playing "school" with my dolls and stuffed animals.
I would line them up and have class each day when my older sister was at school and I was at home.
{Photo of me at age 4 playing "school" with my dolls and stuffed animals}

Being a teacher runs deep in my family.
My mom got her teaching credential.
I have 4 aunts. All 4 of them are teachers (and are still teaching to this day!).
I have 3 cousins who are currently teachers.
And, of course, my younger sister is also a teacher.
So, as you can see, teacher blood runs thick in my family.

Growing up, I was always eager for school to start up.
I loved going back-to-school shopping for new supplies and clothes.
The night before the first day of school was like the night before Christmas.
I couldn't wait to wear my first-day-of-school outfit and find out who was in my class and what my teachers were like. I couldn't wait to fill in my planner and use my fresh notebooks and new pens.

I was fortunate to live in an area that has really good schools, and I had some amazing teachers growing up. The teacher that stands out to me the most as influencing my decision to become a teacher was my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Calvert.

As a 5th grader, I was terrified of Mrs. Calvert. I had her for reading and she was strict and hard. She challenged me and often told me I wasn't doing my best work...because she knew I could do better. I knew that I DID NOT want her in 6th grade. The day before 6th grade started, my best friend (and neighbor) AK and I went down to the school to find out who our teachers were. It was a hot day in August and we arrived at the school 10 minutes before the class lists went up. I was praying that AK and I would get the same teacher, because we had never been in the same class together. And I was praying I didn't get Mrs. Calvert. We were waiting by the office and it was 5 minutes until the list was going to be put up. The office door opened and out walked Mrs. Calvert.
She looked at me and said, "I know who your 6th grade teacher is," and then she winked at me.
I was filled with despair. I knew I was in Mrs. Calvert's class.
When the list went up, my fears were confirmed.
And my best friend AK was in a different class.
I had tears in my eyes as I walked home. I was officially dreading 6th grade.

But, it turned out to be one of the best years ever.
Mrs. Calvert was an AMAZING teacher.
She made me work hard. She challenged me and made me realize that I can be better than average, I can be great. It would take hard work and effort, but she made me realize I could do anything I wanted to do if I put my heart toward it. I grew so much that year and I owe a lot of it to Mrs. Calvert. On the last day of school, I had tears in my eyes, just like I had 9 months earlier.
But instead of crying because Mrs. Calvert was going to be my teacher, I was crying because Mrs. Calvert wouldn't be my teacher anymore.
That year confirmed that not only did I want to be a teacher, I wanted to be a teacher like Mrs. Calvert, who makes a difference in students' lives.
I continued to keep in touch with Mrs. Calvert. I would go by her classroom when I was in middle school and high school and let her know how I was doing. She came to my high school graduation and let me know how proud she was of me for getting a soccer scholarship. When I was off at college, I would write her letters as I was going through my teaching credential. I thanked her for being such an inspiration to me. The year before I finished my teaching credential, Mrs. Calvert retired because she was battling cancer. Two years later, I was hired at the same school that Mrs. Calvert had taught at.
I called her on my first day of teaching and let her know where I was working and that I would have loved to teach alongside her. I thanked her again for being such a great teacher and said that I hoped I would have an impact on students like she did. It was a brief conversation because Mrs. Calvert was losing her battle to cancer. She ended up passing away in 2006.

Because BlogHer and Capella University are awesome, they let me choose a charity that they will donate to--$1 for every comment on this post (up to $500). I chose the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society because cancer took Mrs. Calvert's life and this organization does great things for cancer research and treatment.

Just leave a comment letting me know:

Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she influence you?

If you're thinking about going back to school I'd like to encourage you to check out Capella University and the programs they've got to offer. Capella offers a rigorous and supportive learning community. It can help you transform your education into work that makes a difference in the lives of others, just like Mrs. Calvert and the millions of teachers who make a difference in the lives of their students! I love being in a profession where I can help change more lives than just my own! You can find inspirational Capella University Graduate stories here.

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