It was an easy decision for me when it came to choosing what science courses I wanted to take in grade 12; after grade 11 my love for chemistry was stronger than ever. However, a few weeks into chemistry 12 and a class that started out with thirty students was down to about fifteen students. The radical change between the styles of our grade 11 instructor and our grade 12 instructor was a monumental shock for all of us. Our grade 12 teacher pushed us a lot harder than any other teacher we had ever had (and to be honest any teacher I have had since then). In a month a class of thirty students became approximately a class of thirteen students. Looking back on this, I am amazed at what transpired as I was one of those seventeen students that had given up and dropped the course. Part of my decision was based on the fact that I had begun to lose the passion I had for chemistry because of how she taught the course.
The second I dropped her class she called my parents and made a case for me to come back into the course. In that first month of the semester she saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. After spending the next few nights discussing it with my parents I decided to rejoin the class.
It was because of what she did for me that accelerated my desire to want to teach. She advocated for me to stay in her class when I was ready to quit; she taught me so much more than just chemistry: accountability, responsibility, having a hard work ethic and never giving up. I often wonder where I would be now had she not gone the extra mile to keep me in her class. I am eternally grateful for what she did.