I was blessed to have an amazing and influential teacher in sixth grade. Mrs. Moore was the teacher that every sixth grade student feared, including myself. She was known as the teacher who did not make exceptions, did not bend the rules, and expected nothing but the best from her students. As a sixth grader, that was intense. We were still in elementary school, why should we be treated like we are in high school? As I reflect on my education, most teachers are a blur, but Mrs. Moore stands out. She helped to shape the person I have become today. I took more than sixth grade curriculum away from that year, I learned valuable life lessons. I learned how to be a good friend, how to set goals as high as the sky and acheive them, how even when things are tough I CAN STILL DO IT, to set my expectations high because ultimately my expectations are what matter, and most importantly, I learned that I make a difference and that I have the power to show others that they can make a difference too. Mrs. Moore was an influential, compassionate, knowledgeable, and loving teacher who had nothing but the highest of hopes for every single student regardless of where they came from or what their life outside of school was like. I take this into my classroom everyday. I can only hope to instill the same values in my students. Although Mrs. Moore is no longer with us, I hope in spirit that she knows that the impact she had on my life is one of the reasons I am a teacher today.