A True Story
A thirteen-year-old teen-ager, on the other hand, sits in the first-row algebra class listening attentively. He has not visited the detention room for six years. He turns in his assignments on time and makes his work outstanding. Surprisingly, these two children are the same child, before and after Mrs. Lieb.
Ever since first learning to write, I could not write neatly. I felt more and more uncomfortable during writing assignments. No matter how hard I tried, my handwriting was illegible. Later, my mother took me to a psychology specialist, and he diagnosed me as having impaired motor capabilities. My complex, precise writing muscles developed slower than those of other children.
However, before my problem was diagnosed, I thought I was stupid and dumb. I refused to write my assignments. I was ashamed about my handwriting; I wanted to hide it. Soon, I became my teacher’s headache. When my parents discovered my behavioral problem at school, I was sent to a private school in North Houston, Redd School.
My teacher, Mrs. Lieb, was the second grade teacher. I did not believe anyone could treat me fairly, especially teachers. Mrs. Lieb, though, was different. She allowed me to write assignments on the blackboard.
The entertainment of writing with chalk helped me forget my shameful handwriting. I received great praise from here merely because I worked in the blackboard. She did not seem to notice my messy handwriting. She even asked me to tutor my classmates after she discovered I often knew the answers to the assignments.
Being a tutor was better than breaking pencils. It not only helped me earn respect from my classmates, it was also less expensive. This boosted my self esteem. It felt great to be treated fairly.
Finally, I was willing to write down answers on paper. I would never forget the day that Mrs. Lieb announced my outstanding work to the entire class. One day, my classmates joined Mrs. Lieb in covering me from head to toe in stickers. I never worried about my handwriting after that life-changing day. Mrs. Lieb told me many stories to encourage me. The two characters that inspired me the most were a fish and the "Little Engine That Could".
A scientist conducted an experiment on a fish. He had placed a clear piece of glass in the fish’s tank. When the fish tried to find food, he saw it on the other side of the glass. When he tried to eat it, he collided with the glass separating the fish and his food. This caused much pain and hunger for the fish. When the scientist removed the glass, the fish decided not to try, even with food at his nose, in front of his eyes. He had felt enough failure, remembered the pain, the hunger. Finally, the fish died of malnourishment. From this story, we can see that you must never give up.
The story of the train, on the other hand, showed tremendous courage and self esteem . In a small town, there was an old circus train that had overheated. This happened right in front of a hill. The town was only over that hill. The train was carrying circus equipment along with the monthly shipment of toys and games. All the capable, strong trains were too busy or did not want to be seen pulling a circus train. It was too much of an embarrassment to them. Without an engine, the train would not make it to the fair and the children would be disappointed. A courageous little blue train then decided to try. She knew all the children wanted the toys and the circus, so she gave it all she could. She then began up the hill. With an oversized load, and such a small engine. she still had hope; she believed in himself. Tiring, she told herself, "I think I can, I think I can" to gather enough courage. With wheels sliding on the tracks, sparks flying everywhere, the engine made it over the hill and accomplished the impossible.
Currently, I am doing great in school, and I am understanding and excelling in many of my advanced level classes. New research says that people with messy handwriting just have too many ideas to express, and not enough patience to write down all of them. Without Mrs. Lieb’s understanding, kindness, and patience, I would most probably be heading down the wrong "track".
Mrs. Lieb helped me believe that I could be like the Little Engine. I could overpower all doubts and make my strengths show through. With my courage, I can get over the "hill."
Note: This award was given by Scholastic Scope Magazine. The theme was on "The Teacher that Most Changed My Life." Spriteboy was awarded first place by Anne Potts, the teacher on "Dangerous Minds". Spriteboy’s prize was a trip to Hollywood to have lunch with the Disney/ABC representatives. Chauffeured in a limousine, Spriteboy stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for three days and two nights (January 31, 1997-Febuary 2, 1997). On the first day, Spriteboy met the Disney/ABC representatives, went to the set and met the stars in Ellen, Home Improvement, Dangerous Minds, and several other areas. On the second day, Spriteboy had early admission (two hours) into Disneyland and spent the day meeting the world’s largest stars (Mickey... Minnie... Donald...). After that night, on the third day, Spriteboy was sent to the airport via limousine and went home.
