I have never loved math. Ask my mom, she used to sit up with me in the dining room and force me to do my math homework. I had countless math tutors growing up, but I simply just didn't get it. Forget about it when they added letters in with my math problems.
Life changed though when I entered F126 at West Morris Central High School. I was an eleventh grader who was taking geometry with ninth and tenth graders. Being the oldest one in the class, I didn't have friends with me to bond with. I was so nervous, but I knew I needed to pass the class in order to graduate.
My teacher walked in and I felt a bit of relief as my first day of geometry started. While I didn't excel in her math class, Lynne Obermiller taught me more than just the Pythagorean theorem and Pi. By the time June had come and I was moving on to Algebra II, I didn't know what I was going to do without her.
Mrs. O and I, June 2009
As I was preparing to graduate from the halls of West Morris Central High School, there were so many things I knew I'd miss. I had spent four years wandering the halls and making friends. I took all sorts of classes with all different teachers but I will forever have love and respect for Mrs. O.
The last day I saw her as a student, she bought me a gift for graduation that has a place on my bookshelf to this day. As I unwrapped the Oh The Places You'll Go book, written by the famous Dr. Seuss, I could have cried. The inscription in the front cover still means the world to me.
I was never expecting such a special gift from a teacher. However, Mrs. O and I bonded during that year of geometry. Lucky for me, I ended up with more than just a math lesson over those few months.
Mrs. O was the kind of teacher who made me work for my grades. If I was failing, it was my own fault. I remember when my parents pulled me out of school to go on a vacation in the middle of midterms. Mrs. O sent me to Florida with tons of homework to do and I was so angry. When I came back, I had to take the midterm and it blew up in my face. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
It always means so much to me when a teacher really respects me. Mrs. O was that teacher for me. I earned her respect by working hard for both my grades in math class, but also in real life.
Mrs. O and I still talk every so often. I would always make the time to go and visit her when I lived in New Jersey or when I came home from college. I text her on her birthday and her favorite holiday, Pi Day. I call her about once a month and update her on my life. She always ends every conversation the same way, "I'm so glad you keep in touch with me kiddo,". Trust me Mrs. O, I always will.
Sometimes it's not about the dreaded math class, but something bigger. Sure she was supposed to teach me square roots and circumference, but I walked away from F126 with so much more. Here's to you Mrs. O, thank you for inspiring me.
Signing off,
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