Name: Christine Pearson

Date: September 18, 2014

EDU 221: Introduction to Education

Thursdays: 7:10 9:50 p.m.
FALL 2014
Instructor; Professor Dick Percy
Most Memorable Teacher

Christie, you sound just like your mom.

This is a phrase that I have heard my entire life. Most girls would take offense to that because the
want to feel like an individual. I on the other hand, get joy from hearing those words. You see,
my mom has been a teacher for almost thirteen years now. I have had the privilege to be there
watching her every step of the way.
My family and I walked into a little church in the middle of nowhere one cold Sunday morning.
There were no more than thirty people sitting in the metal folding chairs. Little did we know that
we would someday be calling this place our second home. Four years went by and I was now six
years old. My parents did not like the public school that I was in, so they were searching for a
Christian school for me to attend first grade. Our little church was growing, so a Christian school
was started for the children in the church. My family had become very involved in the church,
and my mom was asked to teach. At the time, my mom did not have a teaching degree or license.
She had to start from scratch.
I was so excited for my mom to be teaching at the same school that I was attending until I
learned that I had to refer to her as Mrs. Pearson. The principal gave her the 5th and 6th graders
that year, and the next four years after that. By this time, I was going into 5th grade. The staff was
very hesitant to let my mom be my teacher, but they had no choice because no one else wanted to
teach 5th and 6th grade. The first couple weeks were rough. My mom was harder on me that the
rest of the kids. She did not want to ever make it look like I was being favored. I had to quickly
learn to adapt and be above reproach. At the time, I thought I was being tortured, but now that I
look back, I realize she did everything she did in my best interest.
Mrs. Pearson had a way of making the classroom a fun place to be. While all of the other
teachers were using the curriculum provided by the school, Mrs. Pearson would make the lessons
fit for the students that she was teaching. For eleven and twelve years olds, sitting still in a desk
for six hours a day was nearly an impossible task. Mrs. Pearson made up games that involved
getting out of our seats and even going outside. To us, they just seemed like competitive games,
but she knew that we were really learning something when we all aced our History exam the next

day. A lot of the other teachers had math equations, and verb posters on their wall, but not Mrs.
Pearson. Her classroom had a different theme every year. She always had our birthdays hung on
the wall, which made us feel special. We all had assigned chores that she put on a pretty bulletin
board. Fun decorations kept the classroom awake and cheerful. Our attended a Fine Arts
Competition very year in California. The 5th and 6th graders were now allowed to go as well.
Mrs. Pearson put in extra hours outside of school every day to help us prepare for speeches, art,
singing, and testing. Because of all her hard work, we all came home with ribbons and medals
that year. We even beat some of the Junior High students. She taught us that we can do anything
as long as we put our mind to it.
Not only did Mrs. Pearson teach us Math, Science and Grammar, she taught us skills for life.
There were only six people in her class that year. I am proud to say that all six of us are still best
friends today. When we first got into her class, we did not all get along. The first week of school
she had us break into teams and build a tower using balloons and tape. Whoever had the highest
tower won. This taught us how to work as a team. Everything she did had some underlying
message to it. She has famous phrases now in that Christian school. Look with your eyes, not
with your mouth. Be a problem solver, not the problem. Mrs. Pearson always taught us to
think for ourselves, and still teaches her student this today.
Looking back now, eight years later, I see my mom as a brilliant, strong woman. When I was
twelve I sometimes saw her as embarrassing or annoying. I know realize that my mom always
put her students above herself. There have been kids that struggled, kids that were horribly
behaved, kids that even smelled bad, but she saw the good in each one of them. She loved each
one of them as individuals. I watch her come home every night from school and work even
longer at home for school the next day. It is not just an 8-3 shift for her, it is her life. My mother
has been my inspiration to teach. I knew when I was ten years old that I was meant to be a
teacher. I have had no greater mentor and model in my life than my own mom. One day she will
be gone, and my prayer is that people will still say, Christie, you sound just like your mom.