Jeffrey Kasper - A Teacher Who Believed In Me

I never thought that I was smart until I had Mr. Kasper as a teacher back in 6th grade at Oceanside’s School #8.  In fifth grade I was a troublemaker and received a lot of negative attention, making me lose a lot of my interest in academics.  It didn’t matter much to me that I had high standardized test scores because I just assumed that everyone else did too.

But I remember the night of parent-teacher conferences, when my mom came home and told me about the wonderful conversation she had had with Mr. Kasper that evening. 

“He thinks you are so bright” she told me. 

My eyes must have widened.  Me?  SO bright?

She went on to tell me a number of other compliments, all of which made me glow inside.  I had trouble believing that he was actually talking about me. 

The next day when I came to class, I wanted to show him that he was right.  I felt a new motivation as well as a greater clarity, owing to the confidence I had inside of me. 

6th grade was my best academic year up until that point.  Afterwards, I went on to become a straight-A student.  Now, as I look back upon all the stuff I’ve done, I feel like a lot of it started the night of the parent-teacher conference.  Thank you Mr. Kasper for believing in me.  You’ve made an incredible positive impact on my life.