I used to say I was not a writer. Grammar has never come easily to me, and while when I was younger I did well in English class, I never was a student who truly excelled or was the subject of teachers’ praise. Art was a similar story. While art teachers gravitated toward some of my friends, no one saw me as a particularly skilled artist. In fact, some teachers even advised me away from developing my art skills. In athletics, I enjoyed being part of a team, but when it came time to be competitive I fell short. There were also a number of teachers who wouldn’t even remember my name the year after I had their class.
Despite this, I eventually found places where I truly excelled. Theater and music took up all my after school time and I truly wanted to be the best. I got a number of roles off the bat, and even won two awards in competition for theater. I sang in the school a cappella group, and even had a small “solo” in one piece. But even when I thought I had found my calling, sometimes I “failed.” I didn’t always get the solo or the part I wanted, and high school Bee couldn’t understand where she went wrong.
Then everything went wrong—I had to switch to a therapeutic school to deal with personal struggles. It ended up being the best decision of my life. North Shore Academy was never perfect, but for the first time in my life I had teachers who didn’t just write me off for my mental illness or lack of ability to do something perfect the first time. Instead, my teachers taught me the difference between not being able to do something and not being able to do something yet. My art teacher was extremely influential. He let me express myself without judgement and taught me skills instead of belittling me for not having them. In his class, natural talent was not a prerequisite, passion was. My english teacher would have long, deep conversations about the books we were reading, and a later amazing substitute let me write a play.
Teachers have so much power to influence their students. They can inspire passion and hard work in students, or they can limit their students to only believing they are good enough for certain things. To the teacher who said I wasn’t an artist or the teacher who didn’t believe I could write at a college level, here I am. Living proof that you were wrong. I overcame my personal and academic struggles with hard work and passion. I am an art major, a dancer and a writer. I am not these things because it was easy. I am everything I am because someone believed in my passion.
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