Eun Hye Jang /"Pinning It Down"

201104213 Eun Hye Jang   We meet a lot of teachers in our life. Some are good and some are bad. One teacher I really like. At first, I was not much of a fan of him. He taught us math, which I could not care less about. Neither did I like the first impression I got of him nor was I fond of his teaching style. In addition, he was a dreadful penny pincher. I could not erase the thought that he was very boring. I used to doze off during every math class of him. Every time I was scolded for dozing off, I made an excuse for that. "Your class is so boring that I cannot help sleeping in your class." I used to say. At that time I was really rude to him. As time went by, our relationship became worse and worse. Then, something that changed my mind happened. When I went to an orphanage grudgingly to do a voluntary service, I saw him there. He volunteered a difficult job like bathing and changing babies' diapers. When seeing him sweat profusely, I could see an angel on his face. I could feel that his voluntary activities came from the heart. Also, I heard that he made a big donation to that orphanage. Next day, at school, he taught us as usual. However, the way I thought of him was changed. I tried not to doze off and it was successful. I found on reflection that my prejudice against him prevented me from understanding him. When I listened carefully to his class, I found myself enjoying the class. He taught us energetically despite his old age. He taught us well and helped us learn other things too. Every weekend, he took us a place which needed help. He taught us the ways to help other people sincerely. He used to cite a saying from Albert Schweitzer, "Do something for somebody everyday for which you don't get paid." I have kept that phrase in my mind from then on. He was more than a teacher. He was my mentor. I am glad he was my teacher.