We’re at Pewaukee High School for summer league games, and Mrs. Carnell asked me if I was excited about Composition this coming year with her (I play basketball with her son). I asked her “Do you want to know the truth?” When she said “Yes,” I told her that “No, I’m not extremely excited about English, never had been during my freshman and sophomore year. Never been good at writing, never enjoyed it. Hate reading, find it boring.” Her response surprised me, she said “Let's see if we can change it.”

Let me say, she did. Her style of teaching was different than any teacher that I’ve had before, especially her grading. Her not having a set rubric for a piece of writing made it so you could actually be yourself in your writing.

This change allowed me to write pieces I was actually proud of, like my gratitude essay. For this essay, we had to write about someone that has changed our lives for the better and we have to thank them for it.

I chose my Grandpa; everyone knows him as Gpa. I wrote this piece and I was proud of it, but here comes the part I was nervous about. Calling him on the phone and reading it to him in front of the class. This wasn’t required but she was hoping some people would try it. 

At first, when she asked for volunteers nobody raised their hands, and everyone looked around at each other. Wanting someone else to go first, quietly spoken Mrs. Carnell asked one more time, almost in a whisper, “Would anyone like to start us off?” I swear she was staring straight through me when she asked this question, so I did. I raised my hand to go first.

I opened my piece and called Gpa. He picked up right away, he asked “Why are you calling me? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” I said, “I’m in school, just need someone's help to make sure a piece sounds good.” 

I then start reading…my heart is pounding like never before, but after I read the first paragraph I felt less stressed and I enjoy what I’m doing. Once I finished reading there was dead silence at the end of the phone. Then I start to hear slow but steady crying on the other end of the line. I never realized a simple act of gratitude could mean so much to someone. What surprised me most was how many hands shot up after I was finished reading. 

I will always thank Mrs. Carnell for sticking with me in Composition no matter how hard-headed I might have been. I would like to thank her for changing my life in a positive way by showing me what leadership can do by asking one more time if anyone would like to go, and I would like to thank her for showing that the smallest gestures, like simple gratitude, could change someone's world forever.