Michala Freedle

UWRT 1103 MW 8:00am

Bad Teacher

When I was four years old I was very eager to learn. This eagerness
started when my older sister came home every day with stories of all
the work they did that day and all the new things she learned. I was so
curious as to what school was like. It seemed like so much fun.
Homework seemed like so much fun. My sister would tell me all the
time Trust me school is not as much fun as you think. But I didnt
believe her; Even when it was my turn to finally go to school I still
enjoyed it that is until second grade.

Now second grade wasnt the worse year I ever had but it sure wasnt
great. I loved everything about being in second grade. I loved my
teachers. I loved my classmates. And I even had my best friend in my
class. There was just one problem, my Assistant teacher, Mrs. Pffier.
She was so mean and hard on everyone in the class. I never
understood why someone would want to teach young children if they
were always in bad moods and acted like they hated their jobs and the
world. I didnt just dislike her because she was mean but because
nothing was ever good enough and she acted like she was the actual
teacher. Eventually I got to a point where I hated going to school. I was

so angry that this one teacher could ruin a whole year for me, a girl
who loved everything about school. When the long school year finally
came to an end I was so happy fresh the next year.
The following year rolled around and I was ready to start third grade.
This was the year that End of Grade testing started so I was preparing
myself for all the work that was ahead of me. A week before school
started we were given the chance to come in with our parents and
meet our teacher. After meeting with my new teacher, Mrs. Baker, I
knew this was going to be a great year. She was extremely nice and
seemed like she was good with elementary kids. To this day I still
remember everything that happened that day. On my way out I was
walking through the library and I hear someone call my name. I turn
around and guess who I saw? Yeah, Mrs. Pffier. She walked up to me
and preceded to tell me the worst news possible, Im your assistant
teacher again this year!! Isnt that exciting? No! The answer was most
definitely no but I couldnt say that to her face so I just forced a smile,
noded my head, and said I cant wait.

For the next week I complained non-stop to my dad about how my

whole year would be ruined again. I wanted so badly to be transferred
into another class but my dad told me just to stick it out and see how it
goes. To my surprise I am so glad he didnt let me move into another
class. Third grade was the time to prepare for end-of-year testing

which made it pretty stressful. In order to decrease some of the stress,

every day after lunch, we would spend thirty minutes listening to
Mrs.Pffier read a book to us. I figured she would pick the most awful
books and it would be torcher to have to listen to her voice for thirty
minutes straight. Turns out my impression of her changed completely.
She picked the best books to read and even showed me a bunch of
other good books for me to read on my own time.

The book I remember most was Sideways Stories from Wayside School
by Louis Sachar. Each chapter told a separate story about a student
that went to the school. The book was so funny and detailed. When
Mrs.Pffier read she added different voices and talked with feeling that
really drew me in. Instead of time creeping by like I thought, time went
by so fast and before I knew it the thirty minutes had passed. I never
wanted her to stop reading. Listening to her was so much better then
learning multiplication tables.

It is so strange how the reading of a story could shift my views for a

person. In second grade I couldnt understand why she was teaching in
an elementary school but after some time I knew there was a reason
that she was my assistant teacher again. She really opened my eyes to
the world of reading and the fun of getting lost in a story. My dad didnt
understand how I could go from not wanting to go to school because of

my teacher, to loving school because of that same teacher. I tried to

explain to him how she inspired me to read more but he didnt
understand. He didnt understand why I loved reading so much when
he hated it in school. I guess he never experienced a bad teacher
turned good.

Looking back the torcher I endured in second grade was worth the
struggle in the end. If it wasnt for Mrs. Pffiers love for books and
inspiring me to read, I honestly dont think I would have been as
successful throughout middle school and high school. Reading not only
widened my vocabulary but also helped my critical thinking and
imagination. For the next few years, after third grade, I kept in contact
with Mrs.Pffier; She recommended me to many more books and
authors including my favorite, Sarah Dessen. This love for reading
continued up until my second year in high school. English class and
school in general just wasnt the same when I couldnt choose my own
books to read.