The Amazing Miss Wright

I was entering high school and was required to take two language courses in addition to English (my native tongue). My own father was somewhat opposed to the idea of this requirement since he did not believe that it added any substantive value to my future job pursuits in that generation. However, I opted to take Latin (to his horror) and French. I have no regrets about either choice but have two wonderful teachers to thank for reaffirming my decision. In particular, Miss Wright (who later married one of my other teachers), positively influenced and encouraged me with my French language classes. I believe that she had previously been a translator for a large multinational company. In one instance, she read and highlighted my French essay for which I had spent endless hours memorizing the correct spellings of words. She said that others in the class could have done as well on the test if they had applied themselves. Overall, she made me feel that learning another language (although not fluently) was a worhwhile pursuit and that I could achieve wonderful things if I applied myself. For that, I will always be grateful to Miss Wright.