From the very first day, school was a struggle. And yet, as fate would have it, three simple words forever changed my life…..
Since it never occurred to anybody at the school to retain the services of an interpreter, I had to sit in the front row so that I could read the teacher’s lips. Classroom discussions were virtually impossible to follow because I couldn’t hear what was being said around the room. In a vain effort to keep up with the flow of conversation swirling around me, I was always asking whoever happened to be sitting next to me what was being said. Eventually, I got tired of watching everyone shrug their shoulders indifferently and rolling their eyes. I began to pretend that I knew what was going on. Fitting in was so important to me that every time the kids laughed, I laughed along even though I was clueless most of the time.
I spent every spare moment trying to keep up with my peers. While most of them finished their homework well before dinner, I was often holed up in my room right up until dinnertime, only to go back and work well into the night.
One evening, I was working on a math word problem. For the life of me, I couldn’t solve it so I asked my father to help me out. We had been going over it for more than a half-hour and making no progress at all. The smell of pizza drifted in from the kitchen. It was almost suppertime.
My father decided to try one last time.
“Stephen, read through the word problem again,” he said.
After I read it aloud, he added, “Now, do you add or subtract?”
Hesitantly, I replied, “Add?”
“NO, STEPHEN YOU HAVE TO SUBTRACT, SUBTRACT, SUBTRACT!”
His eyes were bulging, ready to pop out while slamming his fist on my tiny desk, almost knocking over the little green lamp.
I shivered in fear. I wanted to dash beneath my bed and stay there forever.
Going to school wasn’t much better either. Kids taunted me and called me names mainly because of my hearing aid and the way I talked.
I remembered thinking, “What have I done wrong?”
Not only did I have trouble fitting in, but I also had difficulty reading the clock, counting money and reading. Although I was gregarious and acted as a happy-go-lucky kid, I actually thought of myself as an ugly yellow bucktooth kid with wires that ran from the hearing aid box to my ears. Other parents didn’t want me to hang around their kids fearing that my deafness would rub off on them. How absurd was that!?!?
Because of my academic struggles, I was fast on my way to being held back in fourth grade. Teachers didn’t know what to do with me.
But then fate intervened.
I was allowed to pass, making the way for my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Jordan, to make a grand entrance into my life.
She uttered a simple three-word phrase that was delivered at the right time in just the right way, forever changing my life.
Three Simple Words
A large woman with salt and pepper hair, and twinkling brown eyes, Mrs. Jordan, my fifth grade teacher, had a voice that boomeranged off the walls of her tiny classroom. The school was Blue Creek Elementary in Latham, New York (just outside Albany).
On one sunny afternoon, she asked the class a question. I read her lips from my front-row seat and immediately raised my hand.
I couldn’t believe it – despite my fears, I felt uncharacteristically confident because — for once — I was sure I had the right answer.
But, when she called on me, I was suddenly afraid. Here was an opportunity to impress the powerful teacher and show her I was worthy of her love. Maybe even impress my classmates a little.
I didn’t want to blow it. I took a deep breath and nervously answered her question.
Her explosive response startled all of us.
She enthusiastically slammed her right foot on the floor and whirled her finger a full circle until it pointed directly at me. With sparkling eyes and a wide smile she cried, “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”
For the first time in my young life, I felt like an instant star. My heart burst with pride as an ear-to-ear grin filled my face. I sat a little taller in my chair and puffed out my chest. My confidence soared.
It was amazing how a simple three-word phrase delivered with incredible enthusiasm had totally transformed my young life.
“THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”
All it took was three words to get me to think that I would make a place for myself in this world no matter how many obstacles I had to overcome. From that day forward, my grades and speech improved dramatically. My peers suddenly looked at me with new respect and my outlook on life did a complete turnabout.
About the Author of this Post: Help and support Stephen by subscribing to his blog at Adversity University to receive inspiring articles about the power of achieving the impossible, overcoming and dealing with adversity in addition to some of the most revealing, in-depth “Stephen Hopson Interviews” of authentic bloggers. He is a former award-winning Wall Street stockbroker turned motivational speaker, author and the first deaf pilot in the world to earn an instrument rating in 2006. Read more about Stephen here.
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Stephen,
Thank you for sharing this inspiring story. School can be a tough place for any kid (I certainly had a difficult time in high school), so I only imagine the extra challenges you faced.
It’s amazing how one person can have such a big impact on another person’s life (often without even realizing it). This is a good thought to carry through the day…..
Peter:
It was my pleasure to share this story with the rest of you. Even though many years passed before I realize the full impact of those three words, I knew I would one day get to tell the story. Now it’s one of my most favorite topics on speaking engagements.
I encourage people to think like the teacher and reach out for they never know the impact they could be making with their coworkers, clients, bosses, family members, friends and even strangers.
Thanks for letting me share!
GREAT POST STEPHEN! (Just trying out three different words)
A very inspiring story. Can you explain why she reacted that way when you gave the correct answer? Was it a difficult question that she didn’t expect anyone to get? Or was she surprised that you were the one to answer it? Or did she know you needed a confidence boost?
That story sounds oddly familiar to my life. I was held back a grade when I a kid, and had to attend speech therapy classes. They had me saying things like “The big ball is blue.” Man did that make me feel stupid.
But thankfully, both you and I have had teachers that have inspired us.
Stephen:
I’m glad that my story seemed similiar to your own. In a funny sort of way, we are all connected that way. It doesn’t matter what color our skin is or whether we have a pre-existing disability or what not. All of us have experienced adversity at one time or another and sometimes we’re helped along the way with an angel of sorts.
Great post Stephen, I really enjoyed that. I played hockey with a kid this year that was in the same situation as you and it sheds new light on it from your perspective.
Miles:
Sometimes it takes a story like this to bring new perspective. I know I’ve read stories by others that shed new light in ways I had never anticipated before, giving me a new sense of appreciation about something I had not been aware of before or perhaps I had been aware of it but it hadn’t yet pentrated my consciousness.
Thanks for letting me know you were inspired. I aim to spread the message of three words around the world in my capacity as an inspirational speaker, reminding people of the importance of reaching out and causing a thunderous ripple effect on another person’s life.
Hello there Hunter:
Glad you enjoyed this story! I’m not sure why she reacted the way she did but I think she knew I needed a boost of confidence. Perhaps she saw how I reluctantly raised my hand with arched eyebrows, indicating that I probably knew the answer and saw that as a door of opportunity opening up. I don’t know.
But in the next installment of this story that will appear at PTB, you’ll see just how powerful those three words were. I think you’ll be surprised, shocked or delighted, we’ll see!
Well, if you keep posting stories like that, I don’t know what I’ll do because things like this just choke me up. But that’s a good thing, because it means you told a good story and you told it well.
Thanks for sharing a bit of your life with me, Stephen.
James:
Hearing your reaction gladdens my heart. I’m on a mission to share this in every way I can. Mrs. Jordan is still alive, having just retired from teaching only a few short years ago.
I’ve asked her to write a foreward to a book that contains this story, which she humbly agreed to do.
There’s more coming – a follow up story will be posted at PTB, showing everyone just how powerful those 3 words were. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us today. It is tremendously appreciated.
I’ll prepare with a box of Kleenex. I’m looking forward to it.
On a side note, I can actually picture your teacher doing that. We had a drama teacher who used to drive home his messages in the same abrupt manner. Scared the crap out of us when he’d shout or bang, but you couldn’t help but feel exalted when you realized he was ecstatic with whatever response you just gave.
Mr. Jones, his name was. Maybe it’s a behavior associated with Js
I had a good chuckle out of the last part of your most recent comment.
Yes, perhaps it’s a behavior associated with “J’s.” That’s funny!
In the same vein that we are discussing, the very same teacher (Mrs. Jordan) would mark some of my schoolwork with a distinctive “A” with the left side being longer than the right. Since I’m using a keyboard, I can’t exactly draw one for you but imagine how seeing that always inspired me to do better!
Hi there Stephen,
I found this post really moving; thanks. I hope people learn from it: both the power of the positive response you received from Mrs. Jordan, and the need for a necessary compassion, one your father was unable to find that day, when coaching people to learn.
Kaila:
I’m excited to know that this story awakened something deep within you, inspiring you to the core. That’s what the teacher did for me so long ago.
My Dad and I often joke about that day. One time I was giving a speech for his retirement party and I inserted that little “SUBTRACT, SUBTRACT, SUBTRACT!” piece in there and he almost had a coronary. He was laughing so hard!
Stephen,
I love this story- it shows what an influence a wonderful teacher can be in the life of a child.
Wow. It really goes to show just how important it is that we believe in ourselves and how important it is that other people believe in us too. It’s like John Maxwell says: “You don’t overcome challenges by making them smaller but by making yourself bigger.”
Eugene:
I’ve seen your name floating around the Internet more and more, especially here at PTB. It’s great to “meet you.” Thanks for saying a few words echoing John Maxwell’s philosophy of making yourself bigger to overcome challenges. How very true!
Thank you for the beautiful story, it is truly inspiring.
X M
Matin:
I’m glad you enjoyed the story – stay tuned for there’s a follow up story or two coming!
Stephen, what a beautiful story. I had a teacher in high school who really changed my life by teaching us how to think critically and independently. When I think back, he worked so very hard to reach us. He didn’t seem to have much money, nor did he even seem to be in on the social scene among the other teachers. He was just truly devoted to his job, and to his students. I would love to find him (I don’t know whether he still teaches at my old high school or whether he is even still alive) just to tell him how he affected me and how grateful I am to him. Your story has inspired me to try to do so the next time I am visiting my home town. Thank you!
Bradley:
That’s GREAT that you’re going to try and find that teacher to thank him for making a difference in your life. He will never, ever forget it.
Stay tuned because we have a follow up story to this coming up soon. I found a way to thank her in a most memorable way.
Thanks for stopping by and letting all of us know about your special teacher.
I saw the title of this post in my Technorati favorites and I guessed it was you. I remember reading this story from Adversity University blog. Congratulations on being on PTB, Stephen.
Your friend,
Shaun
Shaun:
Thanks for the congratulatory note. I’m one of your favorite fans myself. You continue to write great stories yourself.
Thank you , thank you for sharing this for us, Stephen, I’m deeply touched by it, I have met two teachers like that, a lady and a talented guy, But I have got no chance to meet that lady till now, one day, if I go back to the place I was born, I ‘ll let her know that her motherlike love made me feel so lucky and have made something different in my life . As for the guy, I just wanna say” thank you !”here , and may him happiness and health around him. I have and will pray for him sometime. I love them! It’s true.
Kira:
You are most certainly welcome! I can feel your energy and wish you the best of luck in finding those teachers, if you get a chance to do it.
Like my fifth grade teacher, those two teachers who inspired you probably were not aware of the impact they made on your life. If you can find them, I’m sure they’ll love hearing from you even if you can’t visit them. Teachers love hearing back from their students even if it’s many years later.
Thanks for writing in!
[...] PickTheBrain Article: 3 Words That Forver Changed a Deaf Boy’s Life [...]
My jaw just dropped to the floor as I read your story because I had one almost identical to it. I was born deaf and am oral also, have worn one hearing aid all thru my life. I was struggling with arithmetic too as a kid, and during one homework lesson with the math, my exasperated father asked in a very loud voice if I was ever going to learn my arithmetic. I was in tears at that point. I grew to hate math classes.
A geometry teacher in junior high turned me around and I loved geometry. The math just seemed to fall into place and made sense. She illustrated the use of math so well with the geometry lessons, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head, DUH!
Hello there Ann:
Isn’t it amazing how our stories are eeriely similiar? I also became a math whiz later in high school and years later ended up handling millions dollars worth of investments for clients – that’s a lotta math!
Thanks for writing in and sharing your heartfelt story. I continue to be amazed at the similiarities between all of our stories even though we’re all individuals with unique fingerprints. There are just some things we all have in common (i.e. adversity, dealing with tough people, etc.)
Stephen, I was touched by your story, somehow it made me forget about a few worries that were bothering me and reflect how good a life I have. Thank You.
Steven:
I’m so glad to know that my story helped you forget about a few worries that were bothering you. Thanks for letting me know that.
There’s a final story coming out tomorrow (Wednesday, the 11th of March) that I think you’ll get a kick out of. It’s an extension of the above story, demonstrating what the power of 3 words can do for a little boy.
Thanks!!!
[...] Note: this is a follow-up the last week’s article, 3 Words That Forever Changed a Deaf Boy’s Life. [...]
[...] 3 Words That Forever Changed a Deaf Boy’s Life [...]
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