It's always an English teacher...
Well maybe just in my world it is. I saw this photo posted recently and I couldn't agree more.
In September 2008, I began my junior year at West Morris Central High School. I was finally one of the older students and my high school years were slowly starting to come to a close. I was finally beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.
Then I walked into the beloved A wing and headed to my first day of English 3 and that's where I met the infamous Rebecca's. Rebecca Kipp, the lead teacher, and Rebecca Broyles, the co-teacher, were both there with smiling faces and SO.MUCH.ENTHUSIASM.
In high school, I was happy pulling C's and D's because at least that meant I was passing my classes. But Mrs. Broyles expected more out of me. To be honest, I resented her for it, thinking that all the extra work was for no reason but to frustrate me and stress me out even more.
I remember reading Huckleberry Finn as one of the first books of the school year. I was bored to tears by it, slowly coming to the realization that I absolutely hated English class. However Mrs. Broyles kept telling me that I would get through it and find joy in it eventually. I'm just going to tell you, she was right.
When I became a senior, Mrs. Broyles wasn't my teacher anymore but she still looked out for me in all the ways she could. There was one night in particular that still makes me smile.
Like any other high school girl, I was so excited for my senior prom. At West Morris, the senior and junior prom were held together in a massive venue. It was always heavily attended. Mrs. Broyles was a chaperone for the prom and she loved to see all her students dressed up. When the prom started, a group of junior girls were over in the corner, picking on me and teasing me. I endured a lot of bullying during high school and I had learned to block it out, but this particular night, I got really upset by it.
I remember sitting at the table and crying. Mrs. Broyles came over and asked me what was wrong. I told her the whole story and she immediately talked me out of my distress. I'll never forget her words. "These girls are juniors and get to do this all over again next year. You are graduating in a few weeks and this is the last ever prom that you get to have. Don't let them ruin your special night."
From that moment on, I enjoyed my night.
Me (purple) and Mrs. Broyles with my friends at the senior prom, May 2009
Right before I graduated, I was really sad to leave behind everything I knew. The halls of West Morris Central were home for four years. Those hallways where were I had laughed with my friends, cried over high school drama, ate lunch everyday. When it was time for it all to end, I really didn't want to go.
I remember talking with Mrs. Broyles a few days before graduation as she signed my yearbook. She was one of the few teachers that I didn't want to leave behind. She told me that she knew I was going to go far in life. The last time I had seen her was at the graduation ceremony.
As fate would have it, I had become a writer and was working on producing an article on Jamie Smith. Jamie was one of the soldiers killed during the Battle of Mogadishu and he was also an alum of West Morris Central. I hadn't been back to the school since I graduated and things had changed quite a bit. I met with the principal to talk about the event and he offered to give me a tour of the school.
As we were wandering around, I ran into Mrs. Broyles. She was so excited to see me and I got the biggest hug ever. She asked what I had been doing there and I told her about how I was a writer for a living. I just remember her saying, "I taught her how to write! I taught her how to write!" That she did.
Now that I think about it, I'm so grateful for all the extra work that she put on me. She could see back then that I was destined for greatness. Since then, I've written two books, I've gotten my byline published with multiple articles, I've become a travel blogger. It's all because Mrs. Broyles saw the potential in me, before I saw it in myself.
Mrs. B- all I can say is thank you.
Signing off,
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