8/6/2019 Inspiring teachers story: Tracy Walters

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By Tracy Walters

When I think of the teacher who changed my life, I can only picture Mrs. Willard, my sophomore Global

Studies II teacher at West Seneca East Senior High School in Western New York. On the first day of 

school, Mrs. Willard seemed like every other female teacher I had – mid-50s, stern and a tad bit sarcastic.

Little did I know her love for teaching would change my life forever.

My classmates and I muddled our way through Medieval Times up through Stalin. Mrs. Willard never lost faith in us even when we seemed hopeless. Our favorite part of the lesson was getting her off topic. Astudent would ask an irrelevant question, and most often, she would give us a 2-minute response with a

life lesson tied up in there. We’d eyeball each other, thinking we were the ones who won. Now looking

 back, I realize she was not just teaching us about serfs, lords or the Age of Enlightenment, she wasteaching us about something far more important – life.

Mrs. Willard was even brave enough to embark on a two-week trip to England and France with 40 highschool students. I remember begging my parents to let me go. Finally, they agreed, and my adventure

 began. While in Europe, everything I learned in Mrs. Willard’s classroom came to life. I could hear the

soldiers on the Beaches of Normandy. I could see the actors in the Globe Theatre. I could feel the march

of Napoleon’s army.

Although having nothing to do with history, I vividly remember the night of April 19, our first night in

Paris and my 16th birthday. Mrs. Willard secretly arranged to have a waiter bring me a cake and singhappy birthday. At that moment, I realized she not only loved teaching, but she loved us. We were like

her children.

Then it came time for the Regents Global Studies exam – suicide as far as exams are concerned. Two

years of material crammed into two hours. For the next few weeks, I studied everywhere I went. While

waiting for my race at a track meet, I studied. While tanning by my friend’s pool, I studied. I never 

remember studying for anything so much in my entire, short life. The grade was not a motivating factor in

my success. Instead, I so badly wanted my grade to reflect Mrs. Willard’s effort, enthusiasm and love shehad for us.

I aced that exam. As much as I would love to take credit for my success, all credit belongs to Mrs. Willard

 because she made me love learning about history and life. She inspired me to try and do the same for my

students. Yes, my fifth period English class loves to get me off topic. Every time they do, I think aboutMrs. Willard and smile to myself, and then I give them a feisty 2-minute answer.

Tracy Walters teaches English at Episcopal High School