The Impact of Words, Dedication, and a Lot of Passion
Dear Josie and everyone at Keep It Kind,
Hello! My name is Kaitlyn Powers, and I am from Long Island, New York. I have been looking for ways to fill my life with positive words and actions lately, and I find that this blog is doing just that--sending the right messages to fans and supporters that want to be able to live life with kindness. After reading your most recent blog about writing to a favorite teacher who has impacted your life, I too knew immediately who I wanted to write about. So here, I want to take a few minutes to share my story, in the hopes that you can see just how greatly she affected my life in so many ways, like your Pre-Calc teacher.
When I was initially given my high school sophomore schedule, I learned that my American Literature Honors teacher would be Mrs. Caiozzo, a woman that I had heard was very lively and passionate about the subject she taught. I was nervous, but excited all the same, to see what would be in store for me as I entered my first class. English has always been my favorite subject, and I have always been told I have a gift for writing. I have always looked to express clearly, yet creatively, my beliefs and my words, through writing, which is one of the reasons why I am so very excited to journey with you on the Keep It Kind train. From the very beginning, I knew Mrs. Caiozzo was a teacher that I would be drawn to. Unlike many of my other previous English teachers, Mrs. Caiozzo was not simply there, teaching the class but not putting her own thoughts and interest into what she taught; instead, she acted as though she could not wait to discuss the books which we had been assigned to read over the summer. She carefully explained the meaningful symbols and literary techniques within each summer reading book, being sure to ask our opinions on specific events in the novel, welcoming disagreement or distaste--she simply wanted us to enjoy discussing the book, whether our views were positive or negative. By the end of the first week of sophomore year, American Lit had become my favorite class, and I really looked forward to coming to her class everyday, something that doesn't happen often to many high school kids.
I think what stood out to me most about Mrs. Caiozzo was her ability to love something so much, and be so passionate about her subject, that she made me want to learn more, and explore the books we read further. Never being one to raise her hand first to give out opinions, I surprisingly found myself eager to give my interpretations of books such as The Scarlet Letter, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and The Catcher In the Rye. As we began to write literary papers for her class, I was not struggling to stick to a rigid, outlined way of writing a paper, but was free to write to my heart's content, something that I had never been able to do before. Previous teachers had given us the steps, asking that we create our essays and papers based off of their format. Personally, I always found that restricting, and found that I could not wholeheartedly express my words without writing freely. Mrs. Caiozzo, however, welcomed this, and I soon found myself not writing the 3-5 page papers she asked for, but 9-10 page papers that took me virtually no time to complete. It was so liberating to have someone who welcomed creativity and expansive thinking, and I was thrilled to look at my first paper, with a big 98 written on it, along with positive comments about my writing. I will never forget that day I received my first paper, nor will I forget the last day of classes when I received a 100 on the term paper we had been working on for two months. I worked harder than I had ever imagined in that class, and my grades did not come easily; however, I enjoyed the work I was doing, which made it that much more rewarding when I received my marks.
What I took from Mrs. Caiozzo's teachings was not just my good grades, but an understanding that loving what you do is essential to growth. By putting her whole being into teaching, Mrs. Caiozzo gave me what other teachers could not: a pure desire to learn, and an increased love for the subject of English that I had already grown to love. She would read over our papers before they were due, making careful yet general corrections as to what should be improved before handing it in. Re-writes were also required by Mrs. Caiozzo, who explained that it was less about the grade we received on each re-write, but the improved quality of the writing through each one. By volunteering extra help whenever she could, and staying with us for more than an hour each if we needed it, Mrs. Caiozzo ensured that we all received the proper amount of time to develop our writing to its full potential. She always used to tell me that my writing was half of what it would be the next year, and the year after that, deeply ingraining in my brain the notion that I can only reach higher, and acheive higher, by continuing to practice and loving what I am doing. Mrs. Caiozzo taught me more than how to write a killer English paper; she taught me that with a lot of dedication, you can achieve so much more than even you think is possible. I went into sophomore English praying that I would do well in the class; I left feeling that I had excelled in more ways than I had believed I could, taking from the class much more than I think even she expected. Thank you, Mrs. Caiozzo, for teaching me that a pure love of something like writing can help express feelings and emotions so clearly, and thank you for helping me realize that what we have to say does indeed matter.
Kaitlyn, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. Mrs. Caiozzo sounds like a once in a lifetime teacher and like I told you before, she did an incredible job with you my dear. You are a beautiful writer. I have found that good teachers teach us so much more than the subjects they're assigned. Mrs. Caiozzo taught you a golden lesson - LOVE WHAT YOU DO! Sometimes we get caught up in what we think we're supposed to do and forget about what we want to do. Listen to your heart. It will always lead you in the right direction, and you will always be better for it. I hope Mrs. Caiozzo got a chance to read your letter. Teachers like her deserve to know they're loved and appreciated. Again, thank you for taking the time to share with us here at Keep It Kind.
Keep shining your bright light!
You can follow Kaitlyn @kait_327!
