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Unforgettable Miss Bessie, By Mike Rose

714 Words3 Pages

Many of us have a role model we look up. A role model can be anybody, ranging from “famous” individuals, fictional characters, to “ordinary” people. One thing they do have in common is their influence on the lives of young people. In Carl T. Rowan’s “Unforgettable Miss Bessie” and Mike Rose’s “I Just Wanna Be Average,” both authors illustrate that role models are around us and they come in the form of an educator. Teachers are said to be second in line after parents when it comes to influencing young people. They are trainers who play a crucial role in the development of students. Both Rowan and Rose begin their essays by describing a particular teacher who left a strong impact during a pivotal point in their lives. In his piece “Unforgettable …show more content…

Rowan’s piece centers on his teacher Miss Bessie as he tells about her in details. He writes, “She was only about five feet tall and probably never weighed more than 110 pounds, but Miss Bessie was a towering presence in the classroom” (167). Rowan’s tone is one that is full of admiration as he establishes his view of Miss Bessie. Though she is a delicate-looking woman, her appearance is no match with the way she presents herself in class; she is more than capable of handling a class. Rowan also states that her lessons went far beyond the subjects she taught for she noticed things that were necessary to a young person’s development (168). With her words, she encourages her students. It is her overall caring and loving nature that her students cannot forget until they grow up to be adults. Rowan concludes by stating that Miss Bessie is “vital to the mines, hearts, and souls” (170) of young people. In contrast, the focus on Rose’s piece is himself as he reflects on how Mr. MacFarland influenced him into continuing his studies. Rose admits that he was not MacFarland’s best student; however, MacFarland hooked him, and tapped his interest in reading and creating stories (185). This lays a foundation of Rose as a student before and after MacFarland. Because of his teacher, he rediscovers something he enjoys doing, and he became inspired to work hard

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