I Am Elisabeth Ocegueda, A Freshman At Harrisburg High School With A, Hopefully, Bright Future

The exuberant and laid back Miss Hancock made for a great elementary teacher but not so much for secondary. The high school students quickly strip Miss Hancock “of [her] 15 years of overblown confidence” (77). In reality, the students need a sterner teacher that can balance laid-back with discipline. Moreover, Miss Hancock is too dependent on her confidence; as soon as her confidence is broken she becomes pathetic. A “desperate

I have had the pleasure of teaching Fantashia Felder during her sophomore year. It is because of students like Fantashia that I prefer teaching tenth grade over any other. What makes this year so special is that teachers can truly see the transformation of their students from children, to young adults. It's a pivotal moment in a child's life where they must decide if they want to become focused on their academic and professional careers or become super apathetic. Fantashia chose to turn her life around and I am so happy I was able to witness such a beautiful transformation.

Eisenhower High School has shaped me into the women that I am today. At first, the transfer from private to public middle school was difficult. I did not know what to expect from public schooling. Immediately, I was met with friendly faces and extraordinary teachers. When the time came for me to decide if I would attend a private high school or Eisenhower High School I didn’t hesitate on my decision. Since my first day walking through the newly renovated Eisenhower halls, I knew I had found my home for the next four years.

When I made the transition from fifth to sixth grade, I was coming to terms with who I wanted to be as a student. All throughout elementary school, I had performed well, but I had never truly applied myself or cared about my work. Mrs. Medsker changed that.

Jane was doing so well during the first half of her semester of 8th grade year that her parents decided to let her skip the rest of the semester to being 9th grade. Upon entering the 9th grade, Jane was shy and conservative. Not knowing what to expect. Her first hour teacher name was Mr. Russ. He was in his late 50’s, teaching English. He was very old-fashioned and stuck in old ways of teaching. He was very discreet and you could tell when he didn’t like you. When he first met Jane, he didn’t like her just based on her personality, and bubbliness. He instantly shut her down. One month into Mr., Russ

The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.

I met a life changing individual in middle school. We referred to him as “Mr. D”. He was my seventh and eighth grade English teacher. I sat in his class and dozed off during his grammar lectures. He often sparked my attention with jokes, sports scores, stories from literature books. However, the majority of Mr. D’s classes were not overly exciting or stellar in anyway.

Coming into the end of my senior year, I was petrified. As I skulked into my classroom, I took a momentary glance around, trying to get a quick view of the people I would struggle with. After all I went through in high school; this is how I began to see my English class, a journey. I took my seat, across from a guy I knew from grade school. I knew I greatly improve at the subject, and everyone else

In that class, the student learns about different teaching methods and how to care for children. As part of the curriculum, we volunteered at Long Elementary as teacher aides. Working with 4th grade students and observing an everyday class room was such an awe-inspiring experience. I had a completely new perspective about teachers. I have so much more respect as before. Teachers put so much time and effort into helping children for their benefits. I knew from the first day I helped with Ms. Williams’ 4th grade class, how much a teacher is a positive influence on children. There is an overwhelming feeling when you help a student with a problem and in return they give you the most heart-warming smile. The experience at Long Elementary helped me make my final decision on whether I wanted to teach elementary or secondary school. As much as I enjoyed helping elementary students, in my heart I knew secondary school was the path God had in store for me.

I was in the sixth grade when I met my social studies teacher Mrs. J.R.; she was a different breed. She wasn’t there to just collect a check but to help us succeed and to reassure us of our admirability. She would stand in front of the class and teach until everyone hand went down but she didn’t stop there. Mrs. J.R. became my confidant. I would confide in her about how other girls made fun of me for the big bows I wore in my thick wild hair and my neon color tube socks. Mrs. J.R. would say things like "they're just jealous because they don't have big colorful bows and long pretty hair.” She would always know just what to say and on gloomy days you could find me on the second floor sixth grade hall in Mrs. J.R. room doing my work sitting

Mr. Suehr has drastically influenced my life. Mr. Suehr has created a new found interest in History for me. In Mr. Suehr's History class I have learned about the importance of History and the effect it has on my life. When you enter the exciting learning environment of Mr. Suehr, you enter a class where you do not want to leave. Mr. Suehr teaches important lessons other than History, he teaches you responsibility, integrity, and honesty. I have learned that a teacher can be more than someone who lectures about a boring topic everyday, but someone who helps you lead a better life. Every student who enters Mr. Suehr’s class leaves with a new sense of optimism toward attending school. Throughout my life I never thought history was an important

My first day of the second grade, I knew no one except the teacher and my younger brother. Kindergarten and first grade had been easy enough, but I was scared of the upcoming year. The only thing I knew about being the new kid was that it hadn’t panned out too great for Addie from the American Girl books. Mrs. Henson’s class was fairly quiet throughout the day, for most kids were nervous or tired. We neared the end of the day and I was ecstatic over the fact that hadn’t made a complete fool of myself. I hadn’t met anyone yet, but I thought that that would be a challenge for another day. Unfortunately, that’s not what Mrs. Henson had in mind. She sent us all out to recess with a grin plastered on her face and with me practically kicking

English has never been my favorite subject in school. My family has always considered me to be talkative and very social. Therefore, it left all of us, including my teacher, quite in the dark when trying to figure out why I was doing poorly in my fifth grade English class. My teacher’s name was Ms. Johnson, and she was a very high spirited woman. She would always encourage me to simply express myself in my writing.

Fifth grade was the first time that I realized that I might be different. I was sitting on the bus going home from school. I was looking out the window and pondering life to the extent that an 11 year old can but I remember that I began thinking about my fifth grade teacher. I remember thinking about how lovely and kind of woman she was. Over the course of the year, I would often think of her and get excited when she would talk to me. I didn’t really think much of it because I thought I just admired her as a teacher. Because of my crippling shyness, I never went out of my way to talk to her but I felt happy when she smiled at me or praised me. I even built up the courage to give her a hug at the end of the year. When my female friends would talk about their teacher crush, I would agree but then I would think about her. It wasn’t until the end of year when I questioned why I would think about her so often or why did I never have a crush on a male teacher like my friends did. For a fifth grader, it was a lot to think about and the more I thought about the more I realized that I didn’t want to think about it. Fear struck my core the moment that I realized that something about me might make me stand out.