Third grade was the crucial year when I realized that healthily communicating with people is the key to life. Who taught me that? Mrs. Brown. 

Mrs. Brown…I could go on and on about the difference she has made in my life when she was my seven-year-old self's teacher in Connecticut at Mary T. Murphy Elementary School. It's been 10 years…Wow.

Mrs. Brown communicated to us as if she were our equal. I respected her because of what she did for me and the way she showed genuine care and interest. As a sassy seven-year-old, I respected her; she taught me measuring, multiplying, and even map skills. However, what made her “my teacher” is that she highlighted the importance of talking through opposition, accepting obstacles, moving forward, and expressing when I was overwhelmed.

I have always had an extremely difficult time in school. From kindergarten to second grade, I was put in the lowest reading groups. I would read comic books while my classmates were reading chapter books. I never had experienced anxiety before, but at the time my biggest fear was having to read out loud to people—reading out loud to my class felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. 

My solution? At six years old, I gave up on school. I was the kid who would lie on their reading log, not because I wanted to but because I felt incapable of reading. 

But Mrs. Brown showed me that there is more to life than being “school smart.” I never remember her putting a grade on my work; before her class, all I knew was an F a one out of four. You can only imagine what those scores will do to a little kid. 

Mrs. Brown was my friend; she always met me where I was at. 

Mrs. Brown was my first teacher who didn't make me feel stupid. “Don't worry about what they are doing,” she would always tell me as I would express my jealousy of my classmate's capabilities that I didn't have.

I flunked third-grade learning-wise, I didn't show that I knew what I needed to know. So instead of holding me back, she came to my house throughout the whole summer and tutored me. I took third grade over again but this time one on one with “my teacher.” When I turned eight, I got baptized into my church and invited a few of my closest friends, Mrs. Brown being one of them. 

Although I have not seen Mrs. Brown in about ten years there are so many things that remind me of her on a day-to-day basis. Mrs. Brown taught me that because I struggle it means I have to work harder than most and I have to remind myself that, I remind myself every day Just because you struggle doesn't mean you are not good enough it just means you have to work a little harder and that's okay. A big thank you, Mrs. Brown, for being you.