In high school I was always an excellent student, though it wasn't because I spent hours doing homework and studying everyday. I got A's doing a minimal amount of work. I was one of the lucky ones. I was self-motivated and school seemed to come naturally to me. My best friend, Richie, was not so lucky. He struggled all through high school just to pass his classes. By the time he was a senior he had given up on school. He just hoped to graduate. He had come to the conclusion that he was just plain stupid and no matter what he did he would still get D's. He gave up trying to do well. Until second semester when a teacher named Mr. Silver changed his outlook. Mr. Silver saw the potential Richie had. He saw that Richie was far from stupid, that he just needed a little encouragement.

I'll never forget the day Richie walked out of class and said to me, "Guess what? Today we read Romeo and Juliet, you know, by Shakespeare? Mr. Silver made me be Romeo and said that I did such a great job that he wants me to come back during my study hall and read it during his other class!" I was astounded. Here's this 6'1 200lb. hockey player who has shown no interest in school getting excited about Shakespeare!

Richie's enthusiasm lasted throughout the semester, and all it took was a little encouragement from his World Literature teacher. Richie wanted to do well so he wouldn't disappoint the "coolest teacher ever." He even got a few A's along the way. His enthusiasm and increased confidence that he could do well carried over into his other classes just enough that he did graduate on time. I don't think Mr. Silver ever knew how much of an impact he had on Richie just by taking a few minutes each day to give a little extra encouragement to a kid who thought he could never do well.

All through high school I saw classmates who were far from stupid that didn't have the motivation or knack for school. I also noticed that most of the teachers didn't care. For a lot of the teachers, especially the older ones, it seemed like they were only teaching to retire and had no interest in actually educating their students.

Education is such an important part of life development. In today's world it is hard to be successful without an education, almost impossible for those who have no high school diploma. Motivation and caring on the part of professional educators, whether elementary, secondary, or post-secondary, are vital parts of every students education.

We need more teachers like Mr. Silver. We need teachers who will take an interest in their students. We need teachers willing to put a little extra enthusiasm and time into teaching. We need teachers who can make their students want to learn. If we had more teachers like Mr. Silver we would have more motivated, happier, more successful students who feel more secure in continuing to learn throughout their lives’ and feel that and education is worth having.

I want to be one of those teachers. I want to inspire students to learn and succeed. Because I know that there are many, many students in school who feel helpless and stupid who only need to be given the encouragement to excel and succeed. Teachers like Mr. Silver can give this encouragement to them.