Great Teacher Essay Contest
Dan Rather said, “A dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and
leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called ‘truth.’” I have been truly
blessed to say I have found a teacher in my life who has led me to and through the plateaus of my life.
Not many students can say they have found a teacher who has impacted their lives in the way
Lauren Day has for me. I was a lost eighth grade student struggling to balance life at home and life at
school when Mrs. Day took a job at Southern Columbia teaching French. Every day for the rest of the
school year Mrs. Day made a point to ask how I was, and told me she was there if I ever needed
anything. She was able to see past the façade of happiness I was presenting.
After a difficult summer I found myself taking French II, and Mrs. Day was still insistent that she
was there any time I should need something. Finally, I broke down, and accepted what she was offering.
I told Mrs. Day things I had never told anyone, and the ways that I felt, and instead of being angry or
walking away like I feared she would, she stayed. Mrs. Day guided me down roads I never could have
gone down on my own. She led me to church where I found a place I could be safe. She helped me get
the adequate help I needed beyond what she could provide. She had discussions with me, answered my
never ending questions with patience, and she told me things that no one had ever told me before.
Things like, “You are worth something. You have a purpose, and despite what life has thrown at you,
you need to persevere because in the end, you can help someone the way I helped you.”
Mrs. Day is a woman with her own family, her own struggles, and her own life, but she has
always been there in a way I will never forget. Four years later, she is still here. Encouraging, pushing,
and listening every step of the way. When I feel I am wandering in a sea of inadequacy, she is there
promising me that I am going to make it.
Lately I have moved from family to family, and the transitions have been difficult, but I have a
hope I have never had before, because Mrs. Day believes in me. Every day I am reminded of what she
has done for me and what she continues to do for me. With all the things going on in my life, I need to
stop, close my eyes, and accept the love and encouragement she is sending my way. Mrs. Day has
provided me with acceptance of who I am, the hope for a better future, and the knowledge that my life
is going to have meaning.