“I don’t want to be a teacher. I don’t want to be the teacher. I just want to be your teacher. And in order for that to happen, you have to be willing to be my student.” That was the very first thing that my 9th grade math teacher, Mrs. Quindsland, told our class. Yet, somehow when I think back to that class, it is the first thing that comes to my mind.
Mrs. Quindsland was known all throughout our high school for being the strictest and craziest teacher. Needless to say, her tests were considered impossible to pass and to have an A in the class would have been something worthy of celebrating. I thought of how unlucky I was. Math wasn't my favorite subject, and now I had a tough teacher to deal with as well. You can imagine the anxiety I felt as I walked towards her class everyday. But, somehow that all changed.
Mrs. Quindsland proved to be the sweetest, most caring, and supportive teacher I ever had. Her class felt like home, and I was never afraid to raise my hand to offer an answer, even though my answer was often the wrong one. Every day, Mrs. Quindsland stayed after school until 7:00 p.m., preparing the next day’s lessons and helping kids who needed it.
During class, she taught us little tricks to remember the tedious math formulas and concepts. Matrices were no longer 2D sets of numbers but real 3D things that came to life to talk to us. Trigonometry became so much more interesting when Mrs. Quindsland taught us about S.O.H.C.A.H.T.O.A. It was the little things that Mrs. Quindsland said to us that made her the excellent teacher that she is.
Every time someone did well on her test or improved greatly, he/she received a singing stuffed animal. During class, the stuffed animal would belt out a funny tune that would send the whole class giggling. Mrs. Quindsland would just at the front of the classroom nodding happily. When I mustered the courage to ask her why she rewarded us that way, she told me she was crazy. I figured the animals were just her unique way of rewarding us all, but later on, I realized that we all needed to laugh a little sometimes.
When I needed help, I would come after school to ask her. She would explain the problem to me so patiently and thoroughly that I was surprised that I was confused in the first place. Mrs. Quindsland inspired me to always reach for the dreams, no matter how far away they might seem. Having Mrs. Quindsland as a teacher and being in such a supportive and kind environment shaped me into the person I am today.
They say that teachers get paid for teaching 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. But truthfully, they never do stop teaching. And that is exactly what Mrs. Quindsland does.