2nd Paper Final

 Victoria Baker

Sonia Begert

7/27/11

2^nd paper:  REVISED

Life Changing Science

 

There are some teachers you will never forget, and there are some teachers that change your life. Depending on who you ask, you may hear mixed statements about Oggie. Who is Oggie, you ask? Well for some, Oggie was a science teacher. For some he was a confidante. Still for others he was the one who kicked them out of school when they didn't meet the requirements, or failed to show up to school. But for me, Oggie was my senior advisor, and the reason I graduated high school and got my diploma at twenty years old. Oggie was an unforgettable teacher because he believed that education was important and that anyone who worked for it would succeed, he believed in his students, and pushed them to do better.

Oggie's real name is James Ogden and like most teachers, he believed that education was important, but unlike other high school teachers, he did not allow us to call him Mr. Ogden. Instead, he insisted that his friends call him Oggie, and that everyone should do so as well. Oggie, as you may come to understand, is not like your typical, ordinary teacher. Oggie is around 5'7 and a bit on the round side. On his face there is an extremely long, shabby beard; speckled with grey. On his head there is long hair with a bald spot smack dab in the middle. In which he normally covers with his favorite black cowboy hat, but occasionally with an erratic hat of his choice. Oggie's choice of clothes is irregular to say the least. This is because Oggie wears skirts. :) Now skirts aren’t the technical name for them, but everyone likes teasing him about it. (It's all in good fun).

Oggie really believed in his students, so you can't really define Oggie's teaching style, because it’s different with every class he teaches. Oggie is the science teacher of Renaissance high school and when you step into his classroom it screams science, literally... He has one of those motion sensing stuffed animal dinosaurs that says science when it detects motion Oggie’s biology class was an adventure of its own.  The course as he would explain was a college course and that it would not be easy. Although the assignments themselves were difficult and a lot of work, Oggie made learning the material really fun. The most memorable moment of biology class everyone in that class would have to agree on was the final. In the week leading up to the finals, Oggie was making his students dread the test because he said it was going to be really hard. His students studied in class, they studied for homework, and even studied on the weekends and on lunch breaks. When the dreaded day finally came, Oggie's students were terrified of the test, but so packed with information there was no way any of them would fail. They walked into the classroom and instead of hearing the usual SCIENCE, they heard SURPRISE!!! The biology final consisted of watching what Oggie labeled as an environmental movie perfect for biology class. It was The Simpson’s Movie!! The students watched the movie and Oggie ordered pizza for them since they had worked so hard studying. He later explained that he wanted them to realize that hard work really does pay off, and that everything is not always as it seems. Also by tricking them, his students all gained the knowledge they needed and a cool way to remember it.

 Oggie pushes his students to do better. In addition to being a Biology teacher, Oggie was also the senior advisor. Going into the school year, I faced a few hurdles. I only had 12 credits going into the year and we needed 23 to graduate, so I had to make up 11 credits which are almost double what you get in a normal school year. Also I was about 8 months pregnant with my daughter, I was huge! I hadn’t been going to school at that time for almost 4 years. And to top it off, I was turning 21 the following summer. This meant that I had to graduate that year or settle for my GED, which was unacceptable for my personal goals. I had a lot of work to do. I shared this with Oggie at our first meeting. He surprised me with a response I will never forget. He flat out told me to quit whining; to stop making excuses because all of the things I listed were personal choices that I had made and that I had to deal with the consequences. At first, I wanted to get angry, but as I sat there and thought about it, I realized that he was exactly right.

          The school year started and I had my daughter. I had to take a month off of school as a maternity leave to be home with Naraiya, which made Oggie push me even harder. I got through the month and returned to school. I buckled down and worked harder than I ever had before, except maybe during childbirth, and got it done. I had worked hard and Oggie gave me the perseverance and earned the credits I needed to graduate! 

          At graduation, my whole family was there to watch. As Oggie called my name, he did something I would never forget. He told the whole gym that he was very proud of me and that I had walked into that school with so many hurdles to jump and that he pushed me harder than he’s ever pushed anyone before. With tears I gave my speech, letting everyone know that even if you have obstacles in front of you, anything’s possible if you work hard at it. I thanked Oggie for making me strive for better and accepted my diploma. I graduated proudly with the rest of my class as the highest graduating class in Renaissance high school history.  Oggie definitely touched the lives of many, and proved that a good teacher can change your life!