When I think of my proudest moment as a student, immediately, the "C" I earned in precalculus with Mrs. Hite springs to mind. Every single time.
I've never been a confident math student. My insecurity in math started in elementary school and stuck with me, like a piece of gum on the bottom of a sneaker, to high school. I took algebra one and geometry my freshman year and got an A-/B+ respectively. Not bad. My guidance counselor, who had a lot more faith in me than I did in myself, put me in the semester long algebra II/trig class. It was tough, and no offense to my teacher, but she was really not a strong communicator. I felt like English was her second language, even though it wasn't. Ick. Mom and Dad hired me a math tutor. I passed the algebra II SOL test advanced, but I ended up with a "C" in the class and only got about six weeks of trig in before summer break.
Fast forward to the SPRING of my junior year. Now, I hadn't taken a math class in over a year, and I was being thrown into precalculus. Not the best combination.
I quickly realized I lacked the trig skills for precalc.
I was on the verge of tears almost nightly as I struggled through homework that should have taken me 30 minutes but took me hours to complete.
I really, really thought I was going to fail the class.
So, when my teacher offered tutoring, I jumped at the chance. Mom drove me to school at 7:00 two to three times a week, where my teacher worked with me and a couple other students. We dubbed ourselves The Breakfast Club and tackled precalc problems with the assistance of fruit and muffins.
I have never worked so hard in a class, ever, in my entire life.
After our final exam, which I'm pretty sure I got a D or C on, Mrs. Hite came up to me and gave me a hug. She said, "I know you think you're not a strong math student, but I'd be honored if you'd take calculus with me."
I didn't. But to this day, not taking calculus is one of my biggest regrets. I had a teacher who believed in me, who went the extra mile for me, and who told me she recognized my hard work. A "C" in that class felt like a gold medal.
I'd still like to take calculus; it's on my bucket list, and it's solely because of Mrs. Hite.
You know, I read an interesting statistic the other day during a coaching tutorial: the late Coach John Wooden, regarded as most by the winningest coach ever, had a 5:1 ratio of positive comments to criticisms. I daresay that if someone analyzed my classroom exchanges, my numbers would be swapped. Wooden was the winningest coach in history. I want to take a lesson from him, and from Mrs. Hite: positive reinforcement goes a long way. Every student can do SOMETHING well. Every student is doing SOMETHING right.
Sometimes, when I'm teaching, I forget that English is to my students what precalculus was to me: confusing, challenging, and impossible at times. They need a Coach Wooden or a Mrs. Hite (or a Frau Holley or a Mama Johnson or a Mrs. Knowles or a Mrs. Hobbs or a Ms. Ridley or a Ms. Catlett...my list could go on and on because I've been blessed with some of the best teachers in the state, literally) in their lives- someone who believes in them, affirms what they're doing well, and helps them with what they're not doing well.
Do I have the courage, patience, and commitment to be a Mrs. Hite for MY students?
Bonus: TEDTalk video by John Wooden: https://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_success
