Monday, May 3, 2010

Stephen Smith

Submitted by Sarah of Marquette

School Hancock Central High

My family was "broken." We had learned to just get by in our poverty and despair. We had settled into the idea that we were broken individuals who would never succeed in life, in love, in academics. We were broken.

Stephen Smith didn't accept that. Not for me. Not for my brother. Not for any student. He believed in his students, believed in finding their strengths and pushing them to grow in those talents. He gave us the tools we needed to succeed--not only information and material, but confidence, critical thinking skills, humor, humility, and the freedom to dream enormous dreams. He didn't allow us to slip through the cracks. He proved over and over again that he was committed to doing anything in his power to see his students succeed. I don't think he could have loved us more if we were his own children. To a "broken" home kid, that was the commitment I needed.

My brother didn't see it this way. He remember Smith as a hard, unreasonable fellow who made high school miserable--always challenging him, telling him to work harder, saying he was capable of more. It wasn't until several years later that my brother realized Smith pushed him because he believed in him. This revelation made the difference. It gave him the determination to finish college and become a teacher, as well. When asked why he wanted to teach, my brother answered that he didn't want to change the whole world. If he could change the world for one student, as Stephen Smith had done for him, then he would count himself a success.

Even the smallest stone can cause a ripple that will change many lives.

No comments:

Post a Comment