Ms. Helton, 5th Grade History Teacher

“‘There is always a light at the end of every tunnel’ – that is a quote that has helped me feel real confidence in myself while facing harsh challenges of being ‘different’ from the rest. Growing up in a very modest house in a rather affluent part of St. Louis, I was seen as one of the ‘poor kids.' This was because of my family's lower than average socio-economic status and because a lot of the girls knew most of my clothes were made by my grandma. My peers would treat me differently and pick on me just because of who I expressed myself to be... except for my best friend, VJ. She was one of the few people who respected who I was regardless of what I wore, looked like, or said. I met her on the first day of third grade after she moved back to the United States from Germany, and both of us were open to being friends. Throughout the years, we have formed an unbreakable bond with each other and are still best friends to this day. 

I am a huge advocate of surrounding yourself with the people who motivate you and challenge you in a positive way, rather than people who bring you down. For example, there was this one girl in middle school that I will never forget. She was the daughter of the then-principal of a well-known private school in St. Louis (she made it a point to mention it often), which makes the context of this story rather ironic! Anyway, she was the prime, textbook example of a middle school bully. When we were in 8th Grade PE class, our teacher decided to put us together as partners for a rock-climbing teamwork challenge. Because I was taller and bigger than her, I oversaw pulling her up the wall. Even when I was helping her physically climb a wall, she continued to keep saying rude and mean things about me to my face… until I just had enough and let the rope go. Yep, I dropped her like a bag of potatoes about 8 feet onto the mat below. I assure you the only thing injured was her ego, as my PE teacher told her she "didn't see anything" and the girl stomped away screaming like Regina George in Mean Girls. In retrospect as an adult, could I have handled that better? Absolutely! However, at the time as a 14 year old 8th grader, I interpreted it as retribution and finally standing up for myself. That moment was a turning point where I finally had the confidence to stand my ground and began to love and accept myself for who I was. 

 When looking back at that time in my life, I’ve realized that I was probably a kid that thought the worst of things, and I’m thankful I have been able to grow into a better person and change that mindset as an adult. My younger self would be absolutely shocked to know that I am now a Middle School teacher, as well as be shocked that I was able to grow from my challenging past. Now as a teacher, I’m able to see and challenge my students to learn new things and find ways to not see people as having a single story, just like how I was seen when I was younger. I want to make sure that all my students know that they matter and have something positive to offer to this world, and that they have an opportunity to make changes for the better. At no time should anyone allow others to create a single story about them — let this serve as a reminder for everyone to always be aware of their own self-love and celebrate what makes them truly unique!”