I have almost no interest in earth and space, yet I still signed up for the advanced version of the class this year. Mrs. Jenkins's enthusiasm drew a couple dozen friends and I into taking the class, which would be only the third year for us to have her for a teacher. We knew it would be fun though, because when a teacher is excited about what they are teaching, so are the students, no matter what the subject is.

We had gotten a few weeks into the class and we were all having fun until the first test hit. This test was no different than her test in previous years, and we were crazy to think it would be. I’m pretty sure every kid at Cleburne High School dreads Mrs. Jenkins’s tests. Although Mrs. Jenkins is one of the most fun teachers, she has also got to be one of the hardest. Failing a test or two is inevitable in her class because she wants us to learn from our mistakes. She doesn't allow people's whining and crying when they do fail, though, because she wants us to realize that making our first B in a class is not the end of the world. She will simply just quote her infamous line "Life suck, then you die." It may seem a little harsh, but we know she's just kidding. Well, mostly.

She doesn’t take the easy way, she makes sure each and every student knows and understands what they are learning. She also makes sure that we are prepared for college by being hard on us when it comes to tests. When a teacher’s expectations are higher, the students excel much better later in life than if they are never challenged to think hard and for themselves. Mrs. Jenkins might not have a whole lot of students thanking her for her hard tests now, but when they know how to study in college later because of them, I’m sure that will change.