It may come as a surprise to some, but school was never my thing. It was a dragon that I would have to fight over and over hoping to just survive. It was a losing battle, and every time we fought, I was defeated once again.
I was not what you would call a “good student” when I was a child, or as a young adult, or even as an adult. School was a place where I didn’t feel comfortable. I rarely experienced success in a classroom, so it was somewhere I dreaded being. Having a teacher call on me to answer something, reading aloud, or being told I failed yet another test became my nightmare. School was my dragon that I couldn’t slay.
I understood I was struggling, but it wasn't until 5th grade that my fears were confirmed. My teacher, the one who was supposed to help me slay my dragons, called me stupid and confirmed everything that I had been telling myself. I was defeated once again. At this point, I decided school wasn't for me.
The battle went on an entire year until I found myself paired with my 6th-grade teacher. I went through the usual motions for the first days of school, trying my best to get classmates to laugh while avoiding going to the office. But almost immediately, Mrs. Bruce, my new 6th-grade teacher, saw right through me. She met my resistance with something I wasn’t used to in a classroom, empathy and compassion. She gave me jobs to do in class, showed me respect and trust, and even came to my football games to see me play. She showed me that a teacher does more than teach the TEKS. They connect and get you to expect more of yourself. Teachers, like Mrs. Bruce, are the ones who help you slay your dragons.
Years later, I have become someone's Mrs. Bruce with the opportunity every day to better the lives of countless students and athletes. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” My mission is to make those around me better than they were the day before and to prepare them for the battles they will encounter. People think that there is a secret formula or course of action to create a culture or environment that people will grow in. Here is what I have found. If kids know that you will break down a wall ready to fight alongside them, they will do the same for you. That is the secret recipe that I have found to work. Pour your heart and soul into people and they will return your effort ten times over.
Every student and player that I have had over the course of my career should tell you the same things about me. They should say that I show them respect, trust, and prepare them for whatever dragons they will face.
-Corey Truman, FHS History Teacher & Coach
