True Beauty

After a long day at school, I was cleaning up and preparing for the next day of school. To my surprise, one of my former students, Katelyn, came walking into my classroom.

Before I tell you the rest of the story, you need to know a little bit about Katelyn. Katelyn was one of my students my very first year of teaching seven years ago. I remember her quite vividly. She had a very bad attitude and very low self-esteem due to the fact that she had been burned from head to toe in a crib fire when she was very young. In third grade, Katelyn was finally starting to really understand and notice how different she was from all the other kids and she wasn't dealing with it very well. I remember her saying almost every day, "I'm ugly," "I don't have any friends," Why do I have to look like this?" To say it quite simply, she hated how she looked and she hated being teased which caused her to become very defensive and unkind. As a way of coping with her pain, Katelyn began to intimidate and bully other kids to make herself feel better. Remembering back, Katelyn and I had a rough year and disagreed often, but we had a very good relationship and learned so much from each other...even more than I was aware of until now.

Katelyn, now 16 and in the ninth grade has changed dramatically. When she walked in, I could not believe how much she had grown. She is now as tall as I am and so mature. She told me about her school and her family and I told her about my life now. We talked for quite a while. After catching up with each other, she finally said that she needed to go because her mom was waiting in the car. As she walked to the door, she turned around and said, "Ms. Timko, remember what you used to tell me?" Honestly, I didn't know what she was talking about because we had so many conversations that year. Puzzled, I just waited for her to finish. She continued, "Whenever I complained about my scars, you would say true beauty comes from inside. I never really listened to you because I thought you were just trying to make me feel better. Now I understand. Thanks for saying that to me." I told her that I was so proud of her and that she had turned into an amazingly beautiful young lady inside and out. She asked me if she could come visit me again. I told her she was always welcome to come see me. Before she left, Katelyn gave me one of the most heartfelt hugs I have ever gotten. As she walked out, she said, "Thanks again, Ms. Timko."

Some times I get so involved in teaching math, reading, science and social studies that I forget that kids are learning so much more from me than just academics. They are learning valuable life lessons, even when I don't expect it. Although the academics are important, some lessons change lives. I am so happy that Katelyn came to visit me and that I have made a difference in one child's life. Of course I hope there are many more, but knowing that Katelyn sees herself as a beautiful you girl means the world to me.