Molly Grice

Prof. Geiselman

ENG 1101

04 September 2018

Educational Narrative Essay

Since the beginning of my early education math has always been my favorite

subject. There is just some portion of my mind that clicks when I am in math class - it

makes more sense to me than any other subject. After several years of math, I have

decided that I prefer algebra over geometry. I love solving for “x” much more than

figuring out the degree of an angle. This past year I had a teacher that made a huge

impact on my life. Her name was Mrs. Fisher.

I never really recognized that Mrs.Fisher was impacting my life until May of 2018.

I walked into the bland classroom where there were no posters or bright colors just this

boring brown color. As I walked in I saw the same emotionless expression on my fellow

peers’ faces as everyone was counting down the days to summer. As soon as I walked

in my teacher yelled, which she did a lot to get our attention, she said “Molly please

come out into the hall for a second.” When I heard her voice I turned and saw my tall,

thin teacher with her short blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. I can remember her

wearing jeans with a school logo shirt and her black sandals that she wore most days. I

followed my teacher into the hall with my head hanging in shame. I feared that I was in

big trouble or that I had done something wrong. When I finally got to the hall, after what

seemed like a year, my teacher said “Molly why aren’t you in honors math? You’re so

smart you don’t belong in my average class.” I was shocked. Actually more like
flabbergasted. My nervousness immediately went away and was replaced by a big,

cheesy smile. My ego definitely grew substantially. I then explained to my teacher how

we took a state test and I was two points away from getting into honors math. Then

Mrs.Fisher said with her raspy voice “ What career are you interested in pursuing?” This

also surprised me. In my head I was wondering why was she genuinely interested in my

future or why did she care. I then said I either wanted to be a nurse practitioner or a

pharmacist. My teacher proceeded to give me advice on what type of math classes to

take before college to prepare for those careers. I loved her advice and this showed me

how much she cared for me. I then returned to the classroom and all of my classmates

heads turned simultaneously towards the door to see if I was in trouble or not. I

obviously wasn’t in trouble because as I entered the room I could feel my grin stretch

from ear to ear.

This conversation between my teacher and I surprised me because throughout

the year she was really hard on me. She would always expect me to have the right

answers on my homework and tests. Mrs.Fisher also expected me to be a leader and a

good example in the classroom. Though she frustrated me sometimes she also made

me feel secure about her class. When I got answered wrong she would write little notes

on my tests or homework with what I did wrong or how I can correct my mistakes.

Sometimes when I still didn’t understand a concept she would walk me through the

steps so I would understand it better. At the time I thought she was a hard teacher, but

now looking back I see that she really did care about me and my high school career. I

also realize now that she was hard on me because she was pushing me to perform at

the best of my abilities. I am extremely grateful for that.

 At the end of the school year Mrs.Fisher said that she was retiring after this year.

This news made me sad and I knew she would be missed. I then wondered who could

replace such an amazing teacher. I also wondered what could fill her spunky and sassy

attitude in the halls and in the classroom. Even though her classroom was dull

Mrs.Fisher’s personality, attitude, effort and determination made the room burst with

color.

A couple of months later I ran into Mrs.Fisher at a local Kroger. We were

standing in the cold produce section, when she said “Hi” to me and asked how I was

doing. Usually it’s weird to see a teacher outside of school but I enjoyed talking with

Mrs.Fisher and I’m glad I got to see her again. At the end of our conversation she said

“Keep up the amazing work in and out of school and never give up because I swear you

will go far in this world. Just don’t forget about me and your fellow teachers. You will do

great things Molly. It was great seeing you!” This made me ecstatic and overjoyed, I

was practically jumping with joy. I then gave her a hug goodbye and told her I hope she

enjoys retirement and that I was grateful for her. I haven’t seen Mrs.Fisher since this

conversation but I will forever remember her as the teacher that always believed in me. I

am exceedingly thankful for Mrs.Fisher and all that she has done for me!