My Grandfather

Teachers can teach anything, from tying your shoes to important life lessons in one’s future. Without great teachers to inspire us, people would go out into the world with lack of knowledge and everyday intelligence. These people are here for us because they care. Without them, our lives would simply not be the same. My grandfather is an everyday person, going through what everyone does: life. He is just like any other grandfather, yet he is and will always be a life-long teacher and a major inspiration in my life.

Although my grandfather is rather old now, he taught math in high school when he was younger. With those math skills, he has taught me everything I needed to know to succeed in that subject. Not only did he educate me well in arithmetic, he taught me to never give up if and when something is difficult. Even though I may not have understood his explanations at first, I learned that keeping at a challenge got me further than quitting. Along with well-informing me that I am in control of my life no matter what people say, he said that I can choose what to do with my life because no one knows me better than myself.
My grandfather is now one of my biggest and most inspirational role models. That was not the case, however, when I first learned math from him. Every day during the summer, he would sit beside me along with his whiteboard, teaching me how to add negative numbers- or at least trying to. If I was confused for a split second, I would not only throw a fit but wish never to do math again. Because of how frustrated I was with math at the time, it made my grandfather even more frustrated. He could spend precisely every hour of every day sitting with me, even if he had better things to do. Whatever it took for me to learn was what he would do, and that made me realize his dedication towards success.

Currently I am in Algebra 1 as a 7th grader, and I strongly believe my grandfather was a big part of bringing me where I am today. Without him to help me as a young child, I would not love math like I do now, along with being frustrated with life in general. While considering taking Geometry in the summer, I am unsure of the level of skill I portray as well as the social challenges I will face. My family supports my every step towards the decision as of whether or not I should take the class.
Although my grandfather is living in China, in my mind’s eye I can always see him reminding me to do what I think is best. Still imagining him at my side as the days go by, I can never forget the lessons he has taught me. Remembering what my grandfather has said to me from the day I was eight, I no doubt will succeed as long as he is with me every step of my life. With him there, I have improved so much as a person over the years, as well as being a great math student.