The teacher who taught me what nobody had before by Brody

The teacher who taught me what nobody had before by Brody - September 2013 Scholarship Essay

Back about 5 years ago in my seventh grade year of school, I was one of those kids to whom my teachers always saw "great potential." Ultimately, I put in only the least amount of work possible to pass my classes. I never studied, but I never really had to either. And after about half a school year of me just dancing around the hard work one of my teachers recommended me for a program called AVID (Advancement Via individual Determination). To put it somewhat bluntly, AVID is a program that shoots to prepare students for college through areas such as organizational skills and helpful study skills and team-building techniques. I had a little interview with my school principal about the program much later in the year and was accepted into the class.  

Fast-forward to my eighth grade year, I walk into my first period AVID class to see my new teacher Mrs. Bombardier. Many people in the class had already had her as a teacher in other classes like gym but I was one of the new nervous kids who didn't really know her beyond occasionally seeing her once or twice in the hallways that previous year, so I would have to wait for her to memorize all our names. After she had met us all and gotten to know all of our names (which only took a few days by the way) it became crystal clear how determined she was to help and watch us succeed. It didn't take long for her to mold and shape our entire class, people from all different cliques and social circles, into one big family.  

We all got along great with each other and everyone has improved academically from then on. After taking that class for my eighth and ninth grade year I can easily say that never since those years have I ever been in a class as closely-knit as AVID was, never was I able to truly understand how Mrs. Bombardier was able to really band us all together like she had. But in the end, she cared for all of us and was actually able to teach us the types of skills that all of my other teachers throughout Junior High and High School just never had. We learned how to keep ourselves organized and neat, actual study and note-taking techniques that worked in all of our classes, and one thing that was probably the most important of them all and that was how to work and communicate well with others in groups and activities.  

I've only skimmed the surface of what Mrs. Bombardier was able to do for my fellow students and I, but without her help, courage, and leadership in the classroom I know for an absolute fact that I would not be where I am academically today. Out of all of my teachers that I have had the pleasure of getting to know throughout my academic years, Mrs. Bombardier is without a doubt my most inspirational academic role-model. With any luck I'll be half as passionate and determined in my own life goals as she was in everything she did.