In his early years, he had a hard time as an English learner. He lived in China for the first four years of his life, and so when he returned, he found himself lost and confused in a place that felt so foreign to him. He didn’t know what the kids in school said, and struggled to express his thoughts. One thing was for sure, however—he wanted to be like the smart kids in class.
Over time, Steve developed self discipline through competition. He wanted to be the best. It was no longer about bringing good grades home for his parents, but the self-satisfaction of being better than everyone else. He never admitted it, but he felt that it proved his worth. He began to really care about his education, as academic knowledge was the only platform where he triumphs most students. In his mind, the quality of a teacher is the most important factor to continued success. As a result, he became very critical and judgemental when it came to his instructors.
He can still remember it like it happened yesterday. It was a cold, November afternoon, and he was transitioning into Social Studies class. As his classmates shuffled into their seats, the teacher gave instruction. He was nervous, and felt butterflies in his stomach.
"Today we're going to watch a fun little cartoon on the American Revolution," Ms. Carol announced. The atmosphere of the class changed immediately, as silence swept across the room. The rows of students stopped moving, eyes glaring intently at their teacher. A drop of sweat rolled down Steve’s forehead, dipping into his eyes, the salt causing him to flinch. He looked away from Ms. Carol. Steve knew what was to come:
Watch the video,
Write eight sentences of notes,
Write a summary.
That was the last straw for him. Anger took over his body. He wanted to yell at the teacher, to complain about her lessons. But deep down, he knew it wouldn’t have done him any good. He restrained himself from acting on impulse. Instead, he toughened up and simply watched the video and completed the assignment.
Some teachers are great.
They make kids want to learn more.
Others don’t really.
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