¶ … Mr. Phillip Woodward

If I were to choose one person who had a significant influence on my life, I would select my fourth-grade teacher, Mr. Phillip Woodward. My Woodward changed my life because he taught me that there is always something new to be learned, and that you can never know enough about anything. Without Mr. Woodward, I would not be the person I am today.

When I was in first, second, and third grade, I was always bored in school, so much so that I would often not complete my homework assignments. When my mother and my teachers asked my why I did not do my work, I would say, "I already know how to do it." In third grade, my teacher, my mother, and my guidance counselor had a conference to discuss my attitude toward my schoolwork. They decided that the reason I was so bored in class was because I was not being challenged enough.

In fourth grade, however, all of this changed. My new teacher, Mr. Woodward, introduced me to the world of computers. I was never bored when I used the computer because there was always something new to learn. In the classroom, Mr. Woodward allowed me to work at my own pace, and showed me that technology will always have something new and exciting to offer as long as we open our minds and are willing to see it. He said that learning is a never-ending process, whether it's from a teacher or from a machine.

Mr. Woodward was paralyzed in a diving accident years before I had him as a teacher, so he taught class from his wheelchair. However, he was always able to keep his students interested in what he had to say. Some people may look down on those with physical handicaps, but I've always looked up to Mr. Woodward. Even though he was in a wheelchair, in my eyes he stood taller than anyone else in the school.