Rachel Lynette, Redmond Elementary

That’s me in third grade. You wouldn’t know it from the picture, but at that time in my life I had the self-esteem of a gnat. I was by far the shortest kid in my class. I was years from figuring out all those unwritten social skill rules, and I am pretty sure I had have some kind of undiagnosed learning disorder. They were not too great at picking those up in the 70s. It didn’t help that my handwriting was a mess too.

As a result, I was always struggling. I just didn’t “get” so much of what was taught. Lowest reading group (in first grade I was so low that me and this other kid had to go out in the hall and use a book that came before the basal). I pretty much gave up on spelling. Math was a nightmare – lots of tears there. I was sure I was stupid.

In fourth grade finally started reading fluently and things got a tiny bit better. But it was in fifth grade that my world got dramatically better. In fifth grade, I had Mrs. Klein for a teacher.

Mrs. Klein was a newer teacher – I think it may even have been her first year. She was young and full of enthusiasm. She made learning fun and for the first time, I felt like I could succeed in her classroom. The turning point for me was when I somehow managed to get the very best score in the class on a test on the digestive system. I even got the extra credit points. It was just one test, but Mrs. Klein made it into a really big deal. I remember how proud I felt, and it occurred to me that I might not be stupid after all.

I’ve been lucky enough to have several gifted and inspiring teachers over the years, but I really believe that Mrs. Klein made a significant difference in my world, and for that, I will be forever grateful.

That is my teacher super-hero story. I am sure you have one of your own and I would be honored if you shared it with a comment. I am also sure that many of you who read this are the star of some of your students’ teacher super-hero stories. What amazing work you do.

Which is the theme of the current Teachers Pay Teachers Sale. You know the drill – up to 28% off February 25-26. Use Promo Code HEROES.

You can read about other amazing teachers just by clicking one of the links below. A giant thank you to Jenny Garwood from Luckey Frog’s Lilypad for making it all happen.