• Connections

    A Teacher’s Influence

    When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher. My mom says I came home from kindergarten and made my younger brothers sit through rhyming words and math problems. Until the 3-year-old threw his pencil and announced he was done with school. I attended the same elementary school K-6. The place is full of memories of my brothers and me. I can still see the lockers, gym, lunchroom and a girl in the schoolyard. The school bell rang as the red rubber ball bounced into my square. A gust of hot wind whipped my ponytail. I tossed the ball into the bin and started toward the door of my…