"I can't believe you have driven from Florida to Tennessee for me,"said Kyle, as tears filled his eyes. We talked in a private room in the church while groomsmen(伴郎) paced outside the open door. In a few minutes, the wedding would change Kyle's life. It was a significant occasion for me, too, because I had been his second-grade teacher and mentor(导师) for the past twenty years.
It started when Kyle was assigned to my second-grade classroom. On the first day of class, I approached the thin, sad-looking boy with messy blond hair."Welcome to my class,Kyle,"I said. He looked at the floor and didn't respond. When I helped him with his assignments(作业) during the week, I noticed he didn't know how to properly finish his work and his writing was messy. He attempted some lessons but often had wrong answers.
During a talk with his grandmother, who was raising Kyle. she said,"I'm thankful that you are his teacher. He never liked his teacher before, but he adores you. I wonder how he has been a different kettle of fish over the months. At home, Kyle now behaves better. He begins to listen to me and obey my orders. What's more, it seems that he has fallen in love with his study."I was glad that I could make a difference to Kyle."Unfortunately, due to some family factors, the grandmother and Kyle moved to Tennessee later.
Years later, a tall teenager visited me. It was the struggling student, Kyle. He said he had traveled to Florida to see his father and me. After that, Kyle began to visit me each summer, and we talked about his life, the importance of making good choices, etc. After graduation from school, without his parents' support. Kyle managed to start his own business, later bought a truck, and moved into his own beautiful apartment. I was really proud of him.
And now Kyle was getting married. He said,"I'm lucky that you have influenced my life."
