-Ms. Bump Finds the Good in You

by Jahlani Charles

Ms. Melissa Bump, a hardworking and caring teacher at Ivanna Kean High School, is one of the few teachers that always finds the good in you.

Born and raised in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ms. Bump said she has been married to her husband Dean “whom I love” for 22 years. They just celebrated their anniversary a month ago. She has two beautiful children-- her son, Andreas, and her daughter, Kiyalyn.

One of her career goals has been to teach at the Montessori School, and next fall she will be doing that. Accomplishing this goal adds to her list of achievements along with “going to Bible study for over 25 years” and being loyal to her marriage. She would also like to go back to college one day, but it’s not really a priority for her at the moment.

I looked straight into her blue eyes and asked, “Are you happy with your job at Kean High?”

She replied, “I love my students and I love teaching.” As she said this I realized that all teachers aren’t the same. Different people have different opinions about others. You might think a teacher is being mean to you, but 90% of the time they are looking out for you. They are making sure that you pass and not just fooling around in class while you should be doing your work.

Vaniris Caceres (student) and Ms. Bump at the Laws of Life awards banquet.

I like the way Mrs. Bump teaches; she won't give you time to fall asleep, day dream, and she keeps you occupied with work. To me, once you are doing your school work and having fun, you will always learn and remember what you learned. She is the kind of teacher who, as far as I can see, promotes excellence

. By picking up Spanish in her late high school days, she can communicate with the students that can’t speak English that well. One thing she will say that helps determine your success is “Stay in school; it will pay off.”

Good days just come and go. Ms. Bump has had some bad days, especially in cars. “One day,’’ said Mrs. Bump, “I was driving from school and was coming to the light, and the light was turning yellow; I thought that when the light is turning yellow, it means speed up, but it really means slow down. So when I ran the light, a car hit me from the back and sent my car into a Mack truck, and I fractured my nose.” Another time while driving from work, she fell asleep at the wheel. Since she drives her children, she tries to be more careful.

When I asked Ms. Bump how many grandchildren she has, she replied, “None. Not until ten years, I hope.” [Her children are still in school.] She laughed and nodded, making her long blond hair sway. Today, she stood up tall in her heels, wearing her pink top and blue skirt. Even though she works so hard, she always manages to look her best.

Before talking to Ms. Bump, and really sitting down and expressing each other’s feelings, I would've never known that is the type of woman she is. When I first went to the class, all types of things were running through my head. However, when I settled down, all of those changed positively.

Sometimes, your teacher and your attitude determine how you will do in class. If you are being rude to your teacher and plus not doing your work in class, you will fail. One day when I turned in some work late, she told me “You showed me that you can do your work; it’s that you are just fooling around.”

Now, if you are quiet in class and behaving, the teacher will see that you are working hard and doing your best. She knows that you work hard and she sees that you deserve to pass. In the words of Mrs. Bump “Stay in school; it will pay off.”