[RCT]

Originally Posted by chelsea24

OK, get your perkin' minds a-werkin'! Is there one teacher that had such an impact on you that she/he changed your life?

For me, it was Mrs. Dale in my Junior year of High School. I has not shy in a social sense, but was terribly shy of speaking in front of the class. She was an Oral Interpretation teacher and we would have to chose poems or scenes from plays and read them in front of the class.

Well, I pretty much mumbled through most of the semester barely passing. Then in the last few weeks, we had to chose a favorite scene from a play to do and I chose a scene from Our Town by Thornton Wilder. It was the scene where Emily has passed away but is allowed to relive one more day of her life. One of my all time favorite scenes.

On the way to class, I had had a fight with my boyfriend. And for some reason, when I got up to do the scene, I forgot myself completely. When I looked up from reading the scene, you could hear a pin drop.

I first looked at Mrs. Dale in the back of the room, who was sobbing. She stood up and said "Linda! Where have you been! Do you even know your potential?" And as I looked around the room the entire class was in tears, even the tough guys and theatre queens. I was shocked. Now with all due respect to Mr. Wilder, his words are absolutely moving, I must have done something right. And Mrs. Dale jumped on that chance to bring me out of my shell.

Later in college and then in my career as Copywriter, Copy Supervisor, and then Creative Head at an ad agency, every time a big presentation would come up, I would still hear her words. "Where have you been? Do you even know your potential?" Those words changed my life and forced me to raise the bar higher for myself. I have made presentations in front of groups of over 500. Me! I know I wouldn't have had the wonderful career that I've had without those words and Mrs. Dale.

So Thank you Mrs. Dale for showing me that I could do anything I set my mind to. :#1:

BTW chels, I played the drunk choir director in our high school performance of Our Town.