My second grade teachers thought I had a reading impairment because I couldn’t get through a short sentence in under a minute. They suggested to my parents that I should repeat second grade because they were afraid I’d fall behind my peers. In third grade I picked up a Magic Tree House book and read it without any help. My reading career and love for English took off from there.

It was rare to see me without a book within my reach throughout the rest of my elementary and middle school years, and that was something that I was proud of. I never imagined a day when I couldn’t spend at least an hour of my time with my nose buried in a book.

Unfortunately, that day came quite quickly. I went into freshman year at SMCHS with all honors courses. (Don’t do it, seriously.) I’d get home from school and do school work until I fell asleep, which meant there was no time for reading.

So my English classes became my outlet. Since I couldn’t spend my time reading the kind of books I wanted to read, I decided to focus on my assigned reading. And through my intense focus on this subject, I decided my senior year to continue that focus and double major in English and Writing, Literature and Discourse at DePaul University.

The only reason it was even a fleeting thought of mine to consider such a path is credited to my three English teachers at SMCHS: Mr. Trotter, Mr. Robertson and Mrs. Barry.

With their guidance in my writing technique and their encouragement during particularly challenging assignments, these three teachers influenced my decision to pursue a career in the world of words.

“The subject is just a good conduit to getting young minds thinking about themselves, the world and the future,” said English teacher Mark Robertson.

In my sophomore year of high school, once a day I got to close my eyes and take deep breaths. With Mr. Robertson’s opening meditation, I was able to put aside the stress of my AP Euro class and focus on what I really wanted to focus on: literature.

“I remember how hard it is to go from class to class and have to try and click your brain into each subject — it’s jarring,” Robertson said. “Add that to all the swirling thoughts and emotions that you experience each day as an adolescent — it’s intense. Meditation, even for a minute, is a way to let these things settle and to return to the ‘now’ with some presence of mind.”

A teacher who sympathizes with the daily struggles that high school students face can be considered a Godsend to said students. Someone who understands that you are most likely running off three hours of sleep and probably forgot to eat breakfast and then helps you get back into the groove of things and focus so you can be the best you can be is someone that ensues greatness.

“It is easy to forget that there are students at SM who carry tremendous burdens in their personal lives and I am inspired by their perseverance in continuing to do their best in school,” said English teacher Coleen Barry.

In her AP/IB English four class this year, I was finally able to witness the kindness that Barry is well-known for on the SMCHS campus. My first day in her class was spent listening to her telling us how she knows what it’s like for the AP/IB/Honors crowd and how she understands that at certain times in the year, there is no way we can balance a huge English assignment along with our other classwork.

Her speech immediately made me like her because I knew that she was on our side. When I completely forgot about multiple make-up tests, Barry always assured me that I could take it the next day without conflict.

If Barry could make high school students understand only one thing, she said it would be “the importance of living honestly and ethically, both in terms of personal comportment in life, and, most importantly, in one’s relationships with others.”

She truly teaches what she preaches, gracing students with a slight extension on an assignment or always exuding her confidence in our ability to excel or relating a classic novel to a group of teenagers and making it an exciting read.

There are many teachers in the world, but few will forever stand out amongst the line-up of past educators. Sometimes, there’s one teacher that changes your path in life, like these three teachers have done for me. For Daniel Trotter, it was his high school French teacher, Madame Antink.

“She was tireless in her enthusiasm and I feel like that is definitely one thing that I have always carried with me as a teacher and something that I am eternally grateful to her for. She brought the heat every day,” Trotter said.

Like Madame Antink, Trotter’s class was always one that I looked forward to. It was a place where humor and English and education all mashed together to create the perfect learning atmosphere for me.

During my freshman and junior years, my love for literature blossomed. The Honors junior curriculum was by far the best repertoire at SMCHS, the novel Beloved becoming a favorite of mine. All the novels had a common theme — feminism — and Trotter did a marvelous job at making the topic approachable and relatable.

Just like Madame Antink, Trotter made the course work interesting and entertaining. Along with a new understanding of feminine literature and its influence on society, Trotter graced me with a wonderful life lesson: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did.”

I learned to put aside the petty worries of the world and live in the present instead of the future, and that has been one of the most valuable lessons I have ever been taught.

Through the past four years of education, my love of literature has exceeded my expectations and I simply cannot wait to start a focused educational path. My three English teachers have molded me into an eager English major, and for that I will always be in debt to them.

Thank you for being my supporters and encouragers and for being the teachers behind the major.