Hello, all my dear readers! I hope you all are enjoying 2013 so far.
Thank goodness we all survived the apocalypse. I’m sure there we’ll
survive many more if you know what I’m saying, but enough of that talk
for now. What I want to talk about today are the people in our lives.
Now I don’t mean the people who have always and will probably always be
there. I mean the people who are fleeting in our lives. There for a
moment and then gone like a leaf in the wind. I’m sure we've all had
people like that in our lives and despite their short time with us they
leave such a big impression, sometimes even more so than those who are
constant. I've had many people like that in my life, but for some reason
this morning one of those individuals stuck out in my mind.
So, like most people elementary and middle school weren't the easiest times for me. I was the loser chubby nerd with the beautiful cousin who looked liked Pocahontas (as they said at least). I was teased, picked on and bullied for anything. From what I wore to what I said, but most of the time I just felt like the other kids targeted me because I was me. Sadly, as time went on I realized that there was nothing I could do about that. I guess my freak flag waved too high. These same school dynamics continued on into middle school especially after I was placed in the Gifted & Talented Program (parents love it, kids hate it). By the time 7th grade rolled around I had kind of bitterly began to accept things as they were. I was a fat loser with little to no friends and no family support. That was my life, but then I met Ms. Snyder, my 7th grade Language Arts Teacher.
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, especially in academics. My strength was English, my weakness was math so I grew closer to Ms. Snyder than any of my other teachers. It got to the point I would stay after school just to talk to her. We would talk about life, school, the need to succeed and the beauty of English. I grew to admire her more than any celebrity. To me she was the epitome of what I one day hoped to be: smart, beautiful, brave, confident, cultured, fearless!
When things were rough at home I would sometimes imagine myself as Matilda (if you were around during the 90's you know what movie I'm referencing) and Ms. Snyder as the teacher who would adopt me and carry me off to live in a beautiful cottage. Of course, that never happened, but kid’s have a hell of an imagination. She could tell when something was wrong with me. I would never tell her exactly what happened, but she would just place a hand on my shoulder and tell me to be strong. It’s because of Ms. Snyder I made it through some rough times.
To me, Ms. Snyder was truly someone to be respected. She was a white teacher at a majority black school and to put it simply a lot of kids tried to place her in the “white devil role” which was definitely the wrong way to describe her. She continued to teach at the school even after having her purse stolen, having students cuss her out and dealing with a corrupt administration. I’m not sure how she did, but my years with Ms. Snyder were amazing. After I went to high school, I would still come back and visit her, praying she wouldn't forget me. Then, came the day she told me she was leaving the school to pursue a better career. She told me she would keep in touch, but people always say that don’t they? I don’t blame her though. She had married and had a baby. Her life was moving on as well as mine, but even though she’s gone I still think of her and her lessons. Her words ring loud in my ears in times of trouble. This may mess up the rhythm of this post but I want to actually list a few of the lessons out.
1) Don’t be afraid to be yourself because there’s no one like you.
2) Resilience.
3) Bravery.
4) Confidence because you’re a rock star.
5) “There’s a whole world out there, you just need to explore it.”
6) Don’t be afraid to take chances.
7) Don’t be afraid to dream.
8) You don’t have to accept things how they are. You can fight.
9) Do what you love.
10) and much more…
I’d love to hear about the fleeting leaves in your lives as well, readers. If you want to reply, post or share your story with don’t hesitate. Until next time.
So, like most people elementary and middle school weren't the easiest times for me. I was the loser chubby nerd with the beautiful cousin who looked liked Pocahontas (as they said at least). I was teased, picked on and bullied for anything. From what I wore to what I said, but most of the time I just felt like the other kids targeted me because I was me. Sadly, as time went on I realized that there was nothing I could do about that. I guess my freak flag waved too high. These same school dynamics continued on into middle school especially after I was placed in the Gifted & Talented Program (parents love it, kids hate it). By the time 7th grade rolled around I had kind of bitterly began to accept things as they were. I was a fat loser with little to no friends and no family support. That was my life, but then I met Ms. Snyder, my 7th grade Language Arts Teacher.
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, especially in academics. My strength was English, my weakness was math so I grew closer to Ms. Snyder than any of my other teachers. It got to the point I would stay after school just to talk to her. We would talk about life, school, the need to succeed and the beauty of English. I grew to admire her more than any celebrity. To me she was the epitome of what I one day hoped to be: smart, beautiful, brave, confident, cultured, fearless!
When things were rough at home I would sometimes imagine myself as Matilda (if you were around during the 90's you know what movie I'm referencing) and Ms. Snyder as the teacher who would adopt me and carry me off to live in a beautiful cottage. Of course, that never happened, but kid’s have a hell of an imagination. She could tell when something was wrong with me. I would never tell her exactly what happened, but she would just place a hand on my shoulder and tell me to be strong. It’s because of Ms. Snyder I made it through some rough times.
To me, Ms. Snyder was truly someone to be respected. She was a white teacher at a majority black school and to put it simply a lot of kids tried to place her in the “white devil role” which was definitely the wrong way to describe her. She continued to teach at the school even after having her purse stolen, having students cuss her out and dealing with a corrupt administration. I’m not sure how she did, but my years with Ms. Snyder were amazing. After I went to high school, I would still come back and visit her, praying she wouldn't forget me. Then, came the day she told me she was leaving the school to pursue a better career. She told me she would keep in touch, but people always say that don’t they? I don’t blame her though. She had married and had a baby. Her life was moving on as well as mine, but even though she’s gone I still think of her and her lessons. Her words ring loud in my ears in times of trouble. This may mess up the rhythm of this post but I want to actually list a few of the lessons out.
1) Don’t be afraid to be yourself because there’s no one like you.
2) Resilience.
3) Bravery.
4) Confidence because you’re a rock star.
5) “There’s a whole world out there, you just need to explore it.”
6) Don’t be afraid to take chances.
7) Don’t be afraid to dream.
8) You don’t have to accept things how they are. You can fight.
9) Do what you love.
10) and much more…
I’d love to hear about the fleeting leaves in your lives as well, readers. If you want to reply, post or share your story with don’t hesitate. Until next time.
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