One person that has helped me in life is..

@Hope

Hi Hope! 😊❤️ Thank you for the forum post as well as the thought provoking question.

For me, in my life journey, there have been many that I have crossed paths with have helped me, taught me something, etc. I have a tendency to remember the kindness of others and be grateful for it.

Today, the first person that came to mind was my high school English teacher. It was an honors class in the 12th grade and for taking his class you got college credit. For me, it was a win because I wouldn't have to take this class in college, already would have gotten credit for it as well as it would be free this way.

This guy sure was an interesting character! He was very unique, quirky and eccentric. Super smart, highly cerebral. He required more of us than the typical teacher in our high school.

One thing that was helpful in the long run, however uncomfortable it was in the moment, was that many times he would ask us to stand up from our desk when called upon to provide an answer for him. It was a bit difficult, nerve racking, stage fright, etc. , but it did get us used to speaking in public and having all eyes on you when trying to process and deliver information. (Kind of like ...get over it, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Wait till what college has in store for you, lol :) )

Another one was that the entire class had really "tanked" on a test. He did not apply a curve and I found out later that he had intentionally made the test too hard and for two reasons. He wanted us to know what failure felt like. He wanted to see how we would react to failure in an unfair environment.

The second part of this was that he announced he had a favorite song after the test scores were handed out. He told us that his favorite song was "Moon River" and that anyone that was willing to go home, learn the lyrics to that song, come back the next day and sing it in front of the entire class would be awarded with a 100% on that failed test for doing so. Like.....what the what? 😳

Unknowingly, again, this was another test (that I found out at the end of the year). Who wanted that grade the most. Who wanted to succeed even though it might be uncomfortable to do so. Well, I wanted that grade. I went home, learned the lyrics, went back the next day and was the only student willing to go that far to fight for that grade. smh As an aside, I really love that song now 😊❤️.

Lastly, end of year honors paper topics were handed out. We did not get to choose the topic. He chose for us. He gave me the most difficult topic of all of the papers while others in the class received clearly, much easier topics. He also put a minimum requirement for the number of pages for each paper and mine by far was the most labor intensive by number of pages as well as subject matter.

I ended up walking away feeling like, why does this guy not like me? Why is he consistently making things more difficult for me? I was called on often in the class and so had to stand the most in the class to respond which of course can cause anxiety. I still liked him and respected him but didn't quite understand why it was or what I had done to be treated differently and to become disliked.

Here comes the great part! 😊❤️ I wrote my paper. All 180 typed pages. Handed it in and I got an A+ on the paper as well as for my end of year grade. After I got that A+ I asked him politely "Why did you give me that difficult topic? Why was it that I was required to do more than the rest"?

His response was fascinating. He told me that I was the only one that he trusted to write that paper. Just like me showing up to sing "Moon River" and wanted that grade more, he knew that I would do right by him on that paper. That the subject matter was one of his hobbies and he didn't want to have to suffer through reading through a paper from someone else that could have potentially failed him as well as the topic. 😳

I'll never forget that teacher and for actually helping me in so many ways. I learned some valuable lessons from the experience. Things are not always as they seem, some simply expect more of you because they are trusting you to do so. Sometimes people will ask you to do things that might feel uncomfortable but they are doing it to help you and for your growth.

Thank you again for asking, Hope. This was a really nice stroll down memory lane for me today! 😊❤️

*high fives* 😊 and *hugs* ❤️