The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

Narrative & Memoir 61 if she had any available time after school to review homework and help correct quiz questions. She was delighted to do so and we arranged to meet in the “Lingo Lab” where students went for tutoring in foreign languages. When we met there that afternoon, I found Señora sitting at a row of desks in the lab with a pile of worksheets and blank, lined paper in front of her. The golden afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows and illuminated the dust collecting on the rows of computers. I sat down as she said, “¡Hola, Meredith! I’m glad you came to see me. What can I help you with?” At that moment, every emotion of utter helplessness surged forth and my eyes began to water. I felt my face turn red and all I could reply was, “I don’t even know.” Her face filled with sympathy as she took out a blank sheet of paper and began writing down what appeared to be random sounds and words. She then proceeded to ask me if I knew what they were and what they meant. I shook my head awkwardly and felt ashamed because all the other students had known them before the first day of school. However, Señora’s reaction was not one of anger or annoyance. Instead, she nodded understandingly and said, “Then let’s begin here. These are personal pronouns. Each personal pronoun has its own conjugated verb that goes with it…” As she wrote them down, she translated each into English and made sure I understood it before moving on to the next word. She let me keep the notes and gave me helpful worksheets that I could refer to during class. When the forty-five minutes were up, I had to leave for a grueling, two hour long field hockey practice. However, Señora was thrilled that I took the time to come see her and I was grateful for the care and attention she took to reteach that foundational part of the material. After that initial breakthrough, I went nearly every day before field hockey practice to see Señora and review that day’s lesson. Each day was filled with little but numerous and exciting epiphanies. Before long, I was able to understand class lectures and participate in class discussions. That low set goal I had written down on my little, white sheet of paper became a reality as I achieved and surpassed a C. I ended with a B that quarter and an A every quarter since, while also being accepted into the National Spanish Honor Society. Though