An Ode to the Teachers Who Changed My Life

How a few remarkable teachers shaped my academic journey—and the way I teach my own students today.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a Thanksgiving post for one of my college professors. Shortly afterwards, something unexpected happened.

A couple of my school teachers commented on one of my testimonial posts, saying they were proud of me.

They remembered me even though it has been more than 20 years.

That simple comment brought back memories I hadn't thought about in years. It also reminded me how much of who I am today is the result of teachers who believed in me when they didn't have to.

The Difference Between Grade 10 and Grade 12

I scored 85% in Grade 10.

By Grade 12, my average across Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Computer Science was over 99%, and my overall average was 97%.

People often look at numbers like these and assume the student changed.

But when I think back, I don't believe I was fundamentally different.

The biggest difference was the people standing at the front of the classroom.

I had switched schools between Grade 10 and Grade 12.

In my old school, classes were large. There were around fifty students in a classroom. Most teachers did their jobs, taught the syllabus, and moved on. Few knew the students personally.

As was customary before board exams, I went to seek the blessings of one of my teachers. I told her that I hoped to score above 90% in science.

She laughed. "You? You can't get such scores. Aim for what you are capable of."

The irony – I was already scoring 90% in the internal exams. And I did score 90% in science in the board exam too!

She was, in fact, one of the nicer teachers in the school.

It's been more than twenty-five years, and I still remember that moment.

Not because of the comment itself, but because it reflected the culture of the school. Many teachers barely knew their students and had little sense of what they were capable of. They just did not care.

Teachers Who Believed

My Grade 12 teachers were completely different.

My principal believed I could earn a state rank. My teachers expected me to score full marks in their subjects. More importantly, they backed up those expectations with action.

During regular classes, they taught what was necessary for everyone, but after classes, they helped anyone who wanted something extra.

They personally asked us how we were doing before the exam. They came to school and waited for us to finish our board exams so they could ask how we had done.

One of my physics teachers even called a friend before an exam because he knew she would be nervous.

Looking back, I realize that what made these teachers special wasn't their subject knowledge.

It was two simple things.

They believed in their students. And they cared deeply.

Those two qualities changed the trajectory of my academic life.

A Professor Who Changed How I Learn

A couple of years later, I encountered another remarkable teacher at college.

Professor Shan Sundar Balasubramaniam taught Computer Programming II at BITS Pilani.

We were the first batch to go through a thoroughly redesigned version of the course.

What could have been an ordinary, easy programming class became something much more.

I still remember his introductory lecture.

He said:

"I'm not here to make you good C programmers. I'm here to teach you so that you can program in any language that comes up."

He was the first one to open our minds to the fact that we need not be taught everything. We can just be given ideas and made to run with them.

Of course, a lot of us miserably failed to grasp the depth. There were only 10 of us (out of nearly 900 students) who got an A. (We managed well with the later courses, though.)

He wasn't teaching a programming language.

He was teaching us how to learn, think and adapt to solve unfamiliar problems.

Years later, when I pursued my accounting designation in Canada, I learned much of the material independently from textbooks. I never felt the need to rely entirely on an instructor because that mindset had already been developed.

Professor Sundar had changed the way I approached learning itself.

Why I Teach the Way I Do

When I look back, I see a common thread connecting my Grade 12 teachers and Professor Sundar.

They treated students as people with potential. They did not see limitations. They connected with us and saw possibilities.

Today, as a math coach, I try to bring those same ideas into my own teaching.

I constantly tell students that they can solve the tough problems.

I refuse to give up on them, even when they are frustrated or struggling.

And I try to help them become independent thinkers rather than students who rely on someone else for every answer. Instead of just handing them a formula to memorize, I give them a puzzle that forces them to deduce the formula themselves.

I often tell my students:

"I'm your mentor. I'm here to coach you, challenge you, and guide you. Real learning happens inside you."

That philosophy didn't originate with me. It came from the teachers who shaped my life.

Thank You

Every teacher leaves a mark.

Some teach a subject. Some teach confidence. Some teach students how to learn for themselves.

The best teachers do all three.

More than twenty years later, I still carry their lessons with me.

And every time I help a student believe in themselves or discover something they once thought was beyond them, a small part of those teachers lives on.

This is my Thank You to all of them.

Is there a teacher who changed the course of your life?

I'd love to hear your story in the comments. Great teachers rarely realize how far their influence reaches.