Who is Rachel Sinclair?

My name is Rachel Ann Sinclair. I am the youngest of three daughters born to Dr. Soren Sinclair and Dr. Rebecca Sinclair. My parents are both professors at the state university where I hope to attend after my graduation from high school. I have two sisters who are older than me.

My sister, Amanda, is sixteen and a junior in high school. Amanda is a cheerleader, excellent student, and very popular. I enjoy watching Amanda cheer at sporting events and practice at home. I often mimic Amanda's cheers wondering if I could ever become a cheerleader. Amanda is quite pretty and boys call her all the time.

My other sister is Roslyn. She is fifteen and a sophomore in high school. Like Amanda, Roslyn is cute and very popular with boys calling her nightly. Roslyn is enrolled in every advance placement course offered by the high school. Roslyn said that she intends to participate in the "Running Start Program" that would allow her to complete two years of college in lieu of her high school coursework. I heard Roslyn try to talk Amanda into entering the program, but Amanda said that she enjoyed cheerleading and high school activities and refused to substitute academics for fun.

I am quite average in appearance and intellect. I wear black rimmed glasses and know that I am not academically brilliant, an athlete or a future cheerleader. At ten years old, I am taller than most of my friends and I rarely wear the latest in fashion.

I am comfortable with myself and I would often take up isolation in my bedroom to be alone and think about my future as a school teacher. Becoming a school teacher has been my personal ambition since first grade and I told my parents that I would become one of the best teachers in the world.

I had the privilege to be in Ms. Horn's fifth grade class. Most students didn't like Ms. Horn because she made them think and do their school work. Students often referred to Ms. Horn as a 'hard nose' to just 'mean' or a 'bully'. My classmates often commented that Ms. Horn should be suspended because she was a bully and therefore violated the school 'bulling rules'.

I wasn't one of those students. I admired Ms. Horn and enjoyed being academically challenged. I told my parents that Ms. Horn is one of those teachers that demands excellence from her students and she gets it too. Students wouldn't admit it to their friends, but quietly they expressed their approval of Ms. Horn because she cared more than the other teachers they had in prior grades. Ms. Horn reminded her class daily that her job wasn't to babysit. Her job was to prepare her students for the next step in their careers. Her favorite saying when a student did poorly on a test was, "Study and take it again. You are not going to fail on my watch." I knew that she cared about her students and that was the kind of teacher that I would become one day.

I lived two blocks from my school and I often stayed after class to talk with Ms. Horn. I would express my approval of her teaching and thanked her for caring and keeping high expectations for her class.

Ms. Horn replied, "I ask of my students that which I would ask of myself under similar circumstances. No more, no less. If my students don't learn, then I fail as a teacher and I refuse to fail."

I would ask Ms. Horn questions about college and the requirements needed to become a school teacher. Ms. Horn was always polite and took the time to answer my questions. However on this particular day, Ms. Horn explained to me that she wasn't sure that I would become a good teacher. I became upset and began to cry as I asked Ms. Horn, "Why did you say that?"

Ms. Horn replied, "To become an exceptional teacher, you must do your very best every day. Rachel, you do good work and finish your assignments on time. Your grades are good, but I personally feel that you are only giving your education eighty percent effort. I want to see the other twenty percent effort if you want to become an excellent teacher in the future. I want to see fire in your belly. I want you to ask for more work and more challenges so you don't become adequate or mediocre. Instead, you will become that exceptional student. I see excellence in you, but you must strive for more than you are now giving me."

I asked Ms. Horn, "What can I do to show you that I can reach excellence as a student?

Ms. Horn replied, "You can read more books and turn in book reports. You can work ahead and I promise to grade your advance work as you go. Don't wait for me. As your teacher, I would rather spend my time keeping up with you."

Ms. Horn handed me two books and asked me to read them and report on each. She commented, "I will see that you get extra credit, but the real measure of your work is in how you perceive yourself and your personal effort. To become an exceptional teacher, you must first become an exceptional student."

I asked Ms. Horn for additional work daily and my classmates began referring to me as 'teacher's pet' and 'Ms. brown nose'. I rose above the comments and welcomed the opportunity to prove to Ms. Horn that I would become an exceptional teacher one day.

Fifth grade ended and I thanked Ms. Horn for being such a wonderful teacher. Ms. Horn gave me a list of books that I should read over the summer and she purchased a math workbook for algebra so that I could get a jump start on sixth grade. Ms. Horn let me know that she wasn't going to be very far away and I was always welcome to drop by when I had a question, or just wanted to talk about school and becoming a teacher.

I thanked Ms. Horn and promised that I will become an excellent teacher just like her.

Ms. Horn replied, "Rachel, I have seen you mature in my class. I think you are now using the additional twenty percent of your brain. You should do well in sixth grade and in your future career as a teacher if you keep yourself motivated. I encourage you to rely on yourself and not those around you."

I studied over the summer and read every book recommended by Ms. Horn. I wrote book reports that would never be handed in to a teacher. I studied algebra, and with the help of my parents, I completed the algebra work book that Ms. Horn provided to me for summer exercises. I was satisfied with my summer work and excitedly anticipated sixth grade in the fall. I hoped that my next teacher would care like Ms. Horn cared.

On the first day of sixth grade, Mr. Dole announced to our class that he had the lesson plan laid out for the entire school year. He asked students to come up to his desk one at a time and he showed the students how to read the lesson plan book and identify the day's assignments.

I noticed that each school day had listed subjects from math, reading, writing, spelling, science and history. Underneath each listed subject, Mr. Dole had the assignment listed. For example, under 'math' it would say "Page twelve, problems 2-35." When the students were comfortable with how the lesson plan book worked, he informed our class that we could finish our listed assignments and then use our electronic devices to play games, text or whatever the student chose to do for the remainder of the day.

I listed off my assignments for the day and then sat at my desk and did each assignment. When I finished, I noted that it was only 10:40 a.m. and I had done all of my classwork for that day. I was the first student done and I presented my...