RYAN, Bellevue, Washington, USA

Middle School Student
Chinese 
Male 

Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? 

A: In California, teachers were treated with the utmost respect. Everyone wanted to be a teacher.

​One day, I was thinking about all the things that were the same and different about California teachers and Washington teachers. I was also thinking about one specific teacher, my favorite teacher, Mrs. Hogan.

Mrs. Hogan was my 2nd and 3rd grade teacher. For many years, I had thought Mrs. Hogan and I were really different. But when I really came to think about it, we weren’t that different from each other. When she was small, her last name was also made fun of just like mine.

Hogan is a word for an Indian hut. My last name was also made fun of, everyone thought that it was a stupid name and very funny.

There are also other things that made us the same too. For example, our families both immigrated to America and we all had relatives that had fought in a war. We both also loved pizza and lasagna because she is Italian. Even her friends were similar to mine. Her friends loved to watch football (even though they support the Packers and I just liked the Patriots). Her friends loved to run and be active rather than play video games and it was the same with my friends.

​I think that having things alike impacts you no matter what those things are.  


Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? 

A: Even though I said that being alike impacts you, I don’t think that you need to be alike. Being alike with a teacher can be good in many ways. You can still be very good without being alike with a teacher. Having things in common with a teacher makes you want to come to school to be with your teacher.

If you are too alike, than you will start going to school just to see your friends and the teacher and you won't actually try to study or anything. Still, wanting to come to school is better than not coming to school.

My mother didn’t really have that much in common with her teachers. Still, she still has a good job.

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