Maddox

Chris Maddox

D. Watkins

English TR 10:30

Influenced by Greatness

Mustafa Ataturk once said, A good teacher is like a candle it consumes itself to light

the ways for others. Luckily for me, during my middle and high school career, I had three

teachers, Coach K, Mrs. Burke, and Mrs. Pile, who influenced my life.

Teachers often make an impact on their students lives, and the one who made the

biggest impact in mine was Coach K. He was the world view and finance teacher at Metro

Christian Academy. Mr. Klerekoper was also the head coach of the mens soccer team and led

them to the conference championship game two years in a row. Before entering his class, I

heard previous students talk about his integrity, wisdom, and teaching. This came from

students who hated school and had a hard time paying attention in class. I quickly became

anxious to begin his class the first day of school. As weeks went on, he revealed to the class that

us, as Christians, are not truly living out the Christian lifestyle. He taught me how to defend my

faith and share it with people who dont know Christ. Without Coach K, I would still be living the

typical Christian lifestyle. Also, I would still be recovering from my back surgery, that I

underwent three years before his class. Coach K. prayed for healing over me and showed me

that I needed to start studying the Bible and seeking healing from the Lord. After that, my

relationship and love for the Lord took off like a bullet from a gun. Also, my back began healing

faster than it had ever done so before. His class changed my life forever. Coach K. was and still

is the most influential teacher that Ive ever had. He has helped mold me into who I am today.
 Maddox 2

My seventh grade English teacher, Mrs. Burke, influenced my life by the way she cared

for and treated her students. At a Christian school, kids are constantly reminded by teachers

about how Jesus told us to forgive people who have wronged you. Sadly, she was one of the

few teachers, that practiced what she preached. Her passion and love for her students

influenced me to be a kind and friendly person. Also, she was an amazing English teacher. As a

student, English class never came easy for me and I never enjoyed going to class. Her fun and

energetic personality, created a positive class to be in and helped my writing skills. This

surprised me because how can learning about FANBOYS and reading Petey by Ben Mikaelsen,

be fun? It was all because of her upbeat and contagious personality. She motivated me to

become a person who is happy and to be a light in what seems like a dark place. Mrs. Burkes

class throughout the seventh grade became a safe haven for me. Whenever I was having a bad

day, I could always count on her to make it better. Also during that year, I was diagnosed with

scoliosis and told that I needed surgery to correct it. That news scared me to death and

whenever I started freaking out, she was the one that helped calm me down. Im grateful that

Mrs. Burke was my teacher and influenced me to be a person of great joy and compassionate

towards others.

One of the smartest, God loving woman I know is, Mrs. Pile, the senior English teacher

at Metro. She was extremely influential my senior year, and was known as having the hardest

class that Metro. Mrs. Pile expects nothing but excellent from her students and thats exactly

what she gets. And because she expects her students to give it their all, she does the same in

return. She knew exactly what college English teachers would look for in students writings and

she taught us how to write a good college level paper. Before her class, I was ill-prepared to
 Maddox 3

write a college level paper and because of Mrs. Pile, I am equipped to do so. During her class, I

acquired a hard work ethic and improved my time management skills. Unlike other classes at

Metro, every time I left Mrs. Piles class, I had learned something new to improve my writing

skills and better myself as a person. She did much more than teach English; she helped students

create college resumes, prepare for job interviews, and gave helpful life lessons throughout the

year. I learned from her class how to correctly write a well written college paper and prepare

for the difficult challenges that would come along with college. She has influence me to create a

good work ethic and to preserver through difficult situations. If I didnt have Mrs. Pile as a

teacher, I would have missed out on valuable life lessons and the understanding of writing a

better paper.

Throughout my middle and high school career, three teachers have influenced my life

and have led me to become who I am today. Teachers truly can light the way for their students

to better themselves in the classroom, and in the real world as well.