Students were invited to submit essays about their most inspiational teacher. Here is the full text of Brian's essay. Interestingly, the newspaper edited out Brian's description of Becky comforting him during his first overnight away from his parents. Could they have been confused by a student-teacher relationship that spanned 13 years?

 

My most inspirational teacher is Becky Duncan. She was my homeroom teacher from kindergarten to fifth grade, but she never really treated me like I was a kid. In kindergarten I learned that I didn't need my mommy or daddy from Becky. My homeroom went on an overnight field trip to a cabin. It was my first overnighter. During the night I woke up crying and calling for my mommy. Becky said, "Don't worry. Go back to bed."

Becky regularly takes students to Casa Maria Soup Kitchen. I started going to Casa Maria when I was 8 years old and I'm still regularly volunteering. Casa Maria is a place where you get a free meal if you need it. From my time volunteering at Casa Maria, she taught me how to respect other people regardless of how little money they have because you could be there in a minute. She also taught me to treat people how you want to be treated.

Becky retired in my fifth-grade year, but we still stayed in contact. In my sophomore year in high school Becky invited me to help a local person running for Congress. That is when I found my love for politics. I started with little stuff, like mailings, and then they gave me more responsibility. The campaign coordinator gave me a precinct to coordinate. My responsibilities were to get people to walk or phone voters in my precinct. That's when I learned how to communicate with others, big and small. That's why I have friends young and old. Becky's and my candidate lost, but I learned that you get the satisfaction of working for what you believe in.

Since then I have gone to the National Youth Leader Conference in Washington, D.C., where I met congressmen and learned how the government works. I volunteered for Arizona League of Conservation Voters. I was in charge of phoning people, seeing if they could walk or phone voters. I probably wouldn't have done any of those things if Becky didn't invite me to help in the campaign.

In the future, I see myself in politics. I see myself campaigning for more candidates, and probably running for some spot in the government. I will also work on issues I believe in.

I have learned, and am still learning, so much from Becky. I learned how to be independent, even if it was only one night away from my parents. She helped me learn how to respect other human beings for who they are and not for how much money they have. Becky introduced me to my future career. Thanks, Becky.

Brian Dahl, 18