Happy Teacher's Day!

Imagine a quiet, lonely girl at the back of the class, her head always buried in a book.
She was living in a world all her own, complete with beaches, castles and prince charmings on white horses. She could easily be that girl you don't notice, the girl whose very existence amounted to nothing. She and her curly hair was the subject of much teasing, which made her realize that a world inside the pages of an old musky book was so much better than a high school classroom.
That was why when her English teacher, Ms. Diaz called her to her office and asked her to join the school paper, I was flabbergasted. I mean, she, this girl I was telling you about. Oh heck, all right, this girl was me. I might as well be honest and reveal all the skeletons in my closet.

The invitation came from out of the blue. I was so surprised. I was a nobody. I was never active in school organizations, being the introvert that I was. Honestly, I still am. Org meetings and team building parties? Not for me, sorry. But Ms. D, she was persistent. She wasn't taking no for an answer so I reluctantly agreed. Besides, she was one of my favorite teachers and  I was too shy to disappoint her. She dragged me to enter contests I didn't think I would ever win (but did). Then she entrusted me with the biggest responsibility of being the editor-in-chief during my senior year. I couldn't imagine what she must have seen in me. Who would have thought? I mean, why me, of all people? Its usually the top in class who gets that highly-coveted title. I was just in the lower end of the top 10, basically a nobody. But she showed me that she believed in me. She taught me to believe in myself.

The shy, silent girl sitting at the back of the class is forever grateful to the teacher who saw something in her she herself was too blind to see.  I would really like to see myself through her eyes so that I would understand. She has sown in me the love for writing. I dreamed of becoming a journalist because of her. Although I have ended up in a totally different field,  I still continue reading and writing and believing in myself, just as she told me to. Come to think of it, school papers and blogs have too much in common. Look how deep her influence in me was.

Thank you, Ms. Diaz, for seeing a worthy lady behind the insecure girl in the corner. Thank you for looking at that student above and beyond her insecurities and for seeing a scared little girl who just needs a little bit of coaxing and some loving words for her to come out of her shell. Thank you for believing in her, even if at times, she doubted herself. Thank you for opening up a whole new world to her and letting her see what more she can do, what more she can experience . I am forever grateful that you have unleashed that girl from the bondage of self-pity, setting her free from doubts and fears. Thank you for making her feel that she has done something, that she IS something.
Thank you.

How about you? Do you have a teacher who has changed your life?


Images from good old Google.:)