At the beginning of this year I signed up for an SAT class, not exactly knowing what to expect. I showed up late on the first day out of utter procrastination. As I walked through the classroom door, I was greeted with a genuine smile, from a man who introduced himself as Carlos. As I took my seat, he continued to explain what the expectations of his class were. I think I blanked out at a certain point after that, and woke up a semester later with a higher SAT score, a lot more confidence in standardized test taking, and a teacher I consider as a role model. 
I remember the first couple of classes I didn’t understand his methods, but that was because I didn’t understand the test, or maybe I just didn’t want to. I quickly learned that the man in front of me, in the button up blue shirt and grey pants was there to help me. I learned to accept the SAT for what it was, a really complicated, almost impossible test, that is, without Carlos’ help.
I was finally given the support and assistance that I needed to kick the SAT in the butt. I’m currently taking an SAT class with Carlos for the third time, and each day I encounter new ways to face problems, not only ones on paper but in day to day life. Carlos constantly shows a certain kind of honest compassion with each strategy he teaches and every question he answers. I can’t thank him enough for guiding me to strive to be the best possible version of myself. Maybe this is a tribute to Carlos, a SAT teacher with clever jokes to make, and knowledge of Chemistry and children’s movies to provide. Or, maybe this is a lesson for any student who doesn’t believe they have what it takes to conquer that test. I promise you, one day you’ll walk into a class, and suddenly feel a weight you didn't even know you were carrying alleviate from your shoulders because you’ll be greeted by a teacher with a kind smile, who wants you to succeed.