teachers that marked us – Katie F.

Katie did a great job with this. I love the conclusions she came to through interaction with Miss Amy.

Amy Spinks. My high school English teacher. I learned a lot of things from her. Like who Emily Dickinson is, how to get those confounded margins right on the ever-changing MLA standards, and what an oxymoron is. But when she would sit before the class with her blue eyes snapping and her blond hair slightly awry, we would learn so much more than English.

Now before I tell you the valuable lesson that she taught me, I must first tell you my initial impression of her. You see, the first day I walked into class I saw a middle-aged cheerleader with a condescending air. I was sure that she had nothing to offer me, considering the fact that I had convinced myself that I was intellectually superior to her.  HA! Who knew a 14 year-old could be such a retard? I am ashamed to say I ever felt this way, but it didn’t last long. As the years progressed, I began to respect her. To my dismay, I learned that she was in fact smarter than I was. Which I will admit was a serious blow to my ego. I also learned that she wasn’t one to tolerate funny business. I had long ago learned that a smile with a tilted head and a witty comment could get you out of most anything, but this method did NOT work on Mrs. Spinks. And I know why. She too, was a seasoned charmer and therefore, she was completely immune to my methods. She could see right through me as though I was a flimsy piece of lettuce. I think the flimsy piece of lettuce realization is what made me begin to really care what she thought of me.

One day, as all the kids were piling out of the classroom, she looked me in the eye and said, “Katie Fowler, you’ve changed.”  I knew by the look in her eyes that she didn’t mean for the better. And the second that she said it, I knew what she was talking about. I was befriending the world and was slowly distancing myself from God. It was no wonder that she had noticed. She had eyes to see and ears to hear.

I will forever be thankful to the woman who saw me walking off the narrow way and slapped sense back into me. I will never forget that day. The day she told me that the only light worth shinning is the light that can shine on the darkest nights.