I Beat the Odds
The narrator of this excerpt is National Football League player Michael Oher. He describes the influence a teacher had on him as a child.
That year was actually a good one. I was back home with my mother, which I had wanted so badly, and I was put in Ms. Verlene Logan’s fourth-grade class at Gordon Elementary. I had missed so much school at that point, and even at eleven years old I was much bigger than the other kids, but she never made me feel as if there was anything negative about that.
She had taught for many years and was wonderful at it. She made us all feel special in her class and she went above and beyond in caring for her students. She could always make the rough, rowdy kids calm down with a few gentle words. She always told us that we were all intelligent and could accomplish great things in life if we didn’t give up and take the easy road. She tried hard to let every student know he or she was important to her and was especially proud of me when I made the honour roll. I found out later that if there was ever a child who didn’t have clothes or shoes that fit, Ms. Logan would quietly go out and buy them what they needed.
But I didn’t know that then. I just knew she was the teacher who was determined to make all of us in that inner-city school believe in ourselves. “Can’t never could and ain’t never would” she used to remind us, in order to help us believe in our abilities and the importance of working hard. She used to encourage me to keep up with sports because whenever we would play T-ball or kickball at recess, I used to tag everyone out—including her. “One day, you’ll make big money because you are too fast!” she used to say, laughing, whenever I’d chase her down at first base. I loved that she saw value in my athletic talent instead of acting like it wasn’t an important skill. In fact, I saw her just recently at an annual charity event in Batesville, Mississippi. A friend of hers knew that I would be there and gave Ms. Logan a call. She came, but I don’t think she thought I’d have any clue who she was. The second I saw her, though, I shouted, “Ms. Logan!” and gave her a huge hug. It was such a wonderful surprise. I reminded her that she and I had the same birthday, and she thought it was so funny that I would remember something like that after all these years. But I don’t think it was crazy at all. Each one of us has memories of a favourite teacher or coach from when we were little, and even if we didn’t know how to tell them at the time how much their encouragement meant to us, we carry that memory in our hearts. I had carried that memory of Ms. Logan with me for years because she made me believe that I had a talent worth developing and the ability to see it through.
Michael Oher
The Assignment
In this excerpt, the author describes his experience with an influential teacher as being a defining moment in his life. Her guidance helped him discover and develop his talent.
What is your opinion of the idea that the influence of others can have a lasting effect?
For this assignment you must do the following things:
- Ensure that the details that you select support your opinion of the idea that the influence of others can have a lasting effect.
- Present your ideas in prose. Do not use a poetic form.
- Your essay must include 5 paragraphs
- Select two characters who are relevant to this assignment. You can choose from the short stories, novel, play, poetry, persuasive writings, or film that you have studied in this course, or you can choose from the reading selection, “I Beat the Odds.”
- Reflect upon your own knowledge and/or experience
- Carefully consider your controlling idea or how you will create a strong unifying effect in your response. Organize your discussion so that your ideas are clearly and effectively presented.