The Teacher Who Refused Anything But My Best

I had no clue what I was in for when I walked into my fourth grade class that day. I had gotten the new teacher at school and that worried me because now I had no clue what to expect. She looked well put together and young. I thought to myself that she must be fun and nice because of the way she looked, but boy was I wrong.

Miss H was a very different teacher than the ones before. From the beginning I would do my work and not think twice about it. I would do my work as fast as possible after school so I could go out and play. I was like that in class -- I would rush and get my work done so I would have time to clean out my desk or watch the other kids. I was always rushing things so I could do something different, more fun. This all changed with Miss H.

She wouldn't accept my sloppy work even if it was all correct. Most times I hated her because I did the work correctly and she had the nerve to make me do it over again because it wasn't my best. I would throw fits to my parents about doing homework over again. I would lie to my parents about finishing my work in class so I could go straight out and play. I hated the first half of school because of this. Miss H would have me do assignments over and over again until it was neat and acceptable to her standards. She made me work harder than any other teacher I had had, and that made me mad. I also hated the fact that all my friends were out playing because their teacher didn't give as much homework.

However, this all changed; it was slow change but I finally accepted the ways she graded and what her standards were. I worked hard and even harder and she noticed the difference and started treating me differently. I didn't have to do my work multiple times if I did my best the first time. She challenged me and made me want to do better. No teacher made me want to do better in school than she did.

I believe that without having Miss H as a fourth grade teacher my work ethics would still be horrible. Now I don't settle for grades and assignments that aren't quality. I work hard for my grades and I get what I put into them. I know what I can do when I try my best and that best is all I have to give. I think that even though I thought Miss H was the worst thing that could have happened to me as a fourth grader I now truly believe that she is by far the best thing that could have happened to me.