When asked what teacher influenced my life the most during my education I never hesitate. The answer is simple; my seventh grade teacher, Mr. Poremba. Mr. Poremba saw in me what no other educator did – potential.
When I first started elementary school I did not know how to speak the English language very well. Therefore, throughout grammar school I was pulled out of my content area classes to take “speech.” Speech class was actually what we now call ESL. Not knowing English automatically put me on the “basic track” at school. Although I lagged behind in most subjects, by 3rd grade I graduated out of the pullout ESL class that I participated in and studied with the “mainstream” students throughout the entire day of school. By the end of elementary school I jumped ahead and caught up with my peers.
Although I did well in school I still fought the stereotype of being an “ESL student” and was never pushed or given the opportunity to advance. Most of my teachers did not set high expectations for me and did not challenge me as much as they could have. Teachers automatically assumed that I could not keep up in my classes because I was an ESL student. My teachers were aware of my situation, in that my parents immigrated from Poland and they did not speak English at home. Living in a typical suburb of Chicago during the late 1970’s, we did not have many students in a situation like mine (the ESL trend did not filter into the suburbs until the late 1980’s). From an early age I could feel the stigma associated with “basic” students. I realized that teachers never spent time with you and basic students never felt special. This all changed when I was in junior high school.
Upon entering middle school everyone was required to take an entrance exam for placement purposes (specifically for Math and English). I did well, but my future teachers were hesitant about placing me in the Advanced English course. As a result, I was officially placed in the Basic English course. It was not until 7th grade, until I had Mr. Poremba for English that I was “bumped up” to Advanced English.
Mr. Poremba began teaching English as Peacock Junior High School the year before I had him as a teacher in 7th grade. After a year of teaching he already had the reputation of being both fun, even quirky at times, and strict. Most of my friends and I were very excited to have him as a teacher. He was a very unique teacher that knew how to push all of his students to meet his high standards. He was a teacher that was just as passionate about his work as he was about his students.
When I began Mr. Poremba’s Basic English course he questioned why I was still at that level. Over the course of two weeks he contacted my parents, found my entrance writing exam and concluded that I should be placed in his Advanced English class. He told my parents that he saw promise in me. He thought that I would rise to the challenge of his advanced class. We were all very excited. This one single act that he did, changed my academic life.
Not only did he promote me to Advanced English, he also awakened a drive and thirst for knowledge that I had never known before. His support made me feel successful. He made me believe that I could achieve anything and that it was okay to be different. He changed my academic career forever. To this day, I still attribute my success in school to him. I feel that had he not bump me up in the tracking system, I would not have done as well in high school and then later in college.
When I experience a milestone in my life, my thoughts always center around Mr. Poremba. Since I graduated high school my parents have always asked me to write this influential teacher a short note expressing my gratitude, because without him I may not be where I am today. I should write that letter and tell him thank you. He may not even know what he has done, or how he has touched my life. I owe him a lot and will never forget him.
I sometimes think about what would have happened if he had not promoted me in 7th grade. I wonder if I would have been pushed to go to college or if my teachers would have “recommended” that I go to a technical school. I wonder if I would have the confidence to try knew things. Would I know how it feels to achieve something significant? In a time when tracking was seen as an asset, Mr.Poremba helped me to break the cycle.
-- Monica Slotwinski, American University