Wednesday, August 8, 2012

a teacher made me cry today.

i took one of his classes when i was in ninth grade. he's a strange teacher...he talks more about life and hunting and the old days and sports (he's also a coach) than the subject he's supposed to be teaching.

i used to hate him, but now i dont think i do...

i've always wanted someone to tell me to write down my story. of where i've been, where and who i've come from. my history. today, that teacher said those words. i suddenly became very energized and started writing. i wrote down anna faith thompson, the day i was born, and the city in which i took my very first breath.

i wrote about when my parents separated, when i gained a new father and a brother, moved to a different state, and when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. the last line i wrote before he asked for mine was, "her faith in God was evident. it drove out all fear, sadness and anger, not only in her, but in our family also."

he was sitting in a desk next to me when i handed him my paper. he looked at it and thanked me for my normal sized handwriting cause it was "easy on the ole' eyes." and then he started reading. i watched his face to see what he would do when he got to the second paragraph.

some things you should know about this man, he's very sarcastic. you have to be really careful of what you say around him, unless you want to be made fun of for about ten minutes. once, in ninth grade, he laughed and joked  and carried on about the way i say "idaho". he's weird and mean and insanely clever and almost likeable.

so anyway, when he got to the second paragraph, he raised his eyebrows and started nodding his head slowly. when he finished, he sat back, looked at me and said, "wow." i nodded. then he kind of laughed, pointed to my middle name and said, "that makes this is a pretty cool name, then." i smiled and said, "yeah, it's fitting." then he moved over to get another student's paper while shaking his head, saying, "man..." and then he looked back at me, smiling and rubbing his arm and said, "that gave me goosebumps."

i didnt know what to say, so i just smiled at him and looked forward as he walked away. my eyes got hot and a little blurry.

it's not that my mom's story is still a very tender subject to me, it's just that when i saw his reaction and when he said all of that to me, i couldnt really believe it. number one, he has a heart?? and two, i dont think i've ever shared that part of my story with a stranger before...

i shared a piece of my life with him that he wasnt expecting to get. and really, it was beautiful.


4 comments:

  1. I read this to Charlie and Summer. They liked it. :) This is such a great story and it's even greater because it's true! I'm sure it was the way you worded the paper too that affected him because - say what you will - you're a good writer in that you communicate so honestly and inventively. :D I hope you have a lot more moments like this in the house of the government.

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  2. I think (honestly and not being sarcastic in any way) that in the future one day, you should consider writing a book. That was beautiful and your writing seems to improve every time:)

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  3. i told ya things would look up. and you literally did. looked UP i mean. God is so amazing, who knows where this will go? and think, if you weren't in that class right now, he would probably have never read anything like that before :D

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  4. you guys are amazing. i love you all.

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