Kevin Bettendroffer
Education Autobiography E01
I started school when I was 5 years old. I don’t remember very much about my school. I
remember the most beginning at age 8 years old when I started my primary school. I remember I
was excited to go to school just for see my friends and playing with them. For some reason, I did
not like school. I had a hard time staying on the chair, I wish I could move when I’m in class
that’s why I really enjoy playing and run around the court. The other reason I didn’t like school
is because I didn’t have a good professor to help and encourage me. In France, we don’t have a
big relationship between professor and student and that’s what I needed. I was too shy to go
over to my professor and ask something about the homework or a test because I knew she will
answer with no interest about me. There were three events that happened in my life that affected
my education. They are: the decision to stay in school instead of playing professional tennis, my
relationship with one teacher, starting college at Texas A&M University.
It was at my French school, 3 years ago, that I had some difficulties, but I graduate
with my difficulties. It was difficult to join tennis and school; my schedule was really busy
because I was playing a lot of tournaments. I planned to improve my French ranking and maybe
start to play somewhere other than France. So, I had two solutions: quit school, or keep school. I
was an academy of tennis in the center of France and I'm living in the South (4 hours driving). I
met my parents there and I finally choose the best solution for my future after a very long
discussion with my both parents and my coach and the president of the academy I took apart my
parents and I explained to them I love tennis but I think school is really important to at least get a
job and why not after graduate in USA start to play some professional tournament. So, my
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decision was to keep going to school even I'm struggling. I think I did the best choice for my
future, because I have this passion since I was a child and I was really motivated. It was a very
difficult choice but I was thinking if I graduate in France I can still play in university in USA,
that’s why I continued the school in France.
Three years ago, in France. My favorite professor when I graduate died the next year. She
was always trying to help me as much as she can and she believed in me than I couldn't imagine.
She was sick a lot of times and she cancelled so many classes and one time we didn't have class
almost one month with her because of her disease. She got cancer (I knew that after my
graduation). She taught Management and Communication. I never been that closed with any
teacher I had in my life. I was eating with her sometimes and we talked about how I can improve
my grades and how I can get better. Also, she was interested in my personal life; she was asking
me a lot of questions every time. She helped me to get back my confidence that I lost. The
relation I was with her was almost friend to student and that’s why I was very involved in her
class. I want to refer to my introduction, when I said I never met a professor with a good relation
student and professor she was the only one that I had confidence. My major in France was
Management, so I had her 6 hours per week and for the degree, the coefficient was very high so
it was one of my important classes. And before my final I was at her place working every chapter
on the book, she helped me how to write my essay and get easy points for the questions. We
passed 6 hours during 3 days it was very intense and my result for this class was very good and I
got my degree.
The first time in my life I enter in USA I was struggling with my English and I was lost
during the class. I couldn't understand what the professor said. I was always returning my
homework later than my teammates. After, I got a tutor she helped me and gave me a lot of
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advices (watches movie in English, talk as much as I can in English, try to forgot and avoid my
French language. Almost every day I was working with her, she was patient with me. And at the
end of my second semester I got 3.4 GPA last semester. I was working all day; I was talking to
all my teachers to know how I can get a better grade. Because I understood school was very
important in US especially when you are an athlete like me, to be eligible and play the season
with your teammates.
To refer to my tutor at the beginning I couldn’t really understand what she said to me but
we worked really hard together and I start to understand what she’s saying because she got a
really hard accent, the Texas accent. She was patient with me about my writing and my
comprehension and she was always available for me by phone or text. She was a teacher before
so, she got a really good experience about teaching especially she was teaching English for the
foreign student, so, she knows what would happen with me. I remember my first paper I needed
to do, I was a little nervous because I didn’t even know the basic things to write a paper because
it’s so different to the French writing and she showed me a lot of examples how do write an
essay for example (where we have to put the name and the title). After my first paper the
professor was really proud of me because she saw I was struggling in class with my writing and
to express myself. She changed my life because I was so shy to talk with people and she
explained to me it was the best practice ever to talk with people even if I’m doing mistake with
them it would be benefit for my future.
In conclusion, school has been difficult for me. It’s really difficult for me to not be active
and stay on my chair listening to the teacher or working on the computer during 2 or 3 hours
because I need to be active or moving maybe because I’m doing sport since I am 5 years old.
Also, I moved to another country and start to learn a foreign language was really hard. Because I
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don’t have any confidence, it can be in tennis or something else. And the three events that
affected my education the most are they are the decision to stay in school instead of playing
professional tennis, my relationship with one teacher, and starting college at Texas A&M
University. I think all the things that hurt me in my past, make me stronger than anybody, and I
also learned how to work in in community it can be on the tennis court or outside with my friend
we are always helping each other for a test or a presentation. I have one philosophy that I learned
from my parents is never give up and always giving your best. I’m glad that I choose all this
decisions because I can still playing tennis.
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