Page 26 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2019- Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS
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Senior Senior
n the years of adolescence, amid
naive perceptions of our own
Isuperiority, exist certain frames of
time when we as individuals grow,
bit by bit, into more mature versions
of ourselves. As teenagers, we like
to imagine that we know everything
there is to know about the world.
However, one teacher, in particular,
made me realize the detriments of
holding such a perspective: Mrs.
Starla Ewan. Never had I met a more
overwhelmingly intense yet blatantly
honest person in my life until that
first day of my sophomore year when
I stepped into her Anatomy and
Physiology class.
Anyone who has taken her class can
agree on one thing: Mrs. Ewan is one
of the most earnest and passionate
teachers of, not only the intricate
systems of the human body, but
also the incredible power we have
over our own lives. I still recall the
first day I sat in her class where we
immediately began our first lesson,
a little trick of hers to “weed out”
the less determined. In fact, just
being in her presence was nerve
wracking because of her intense and
undeniably confident personality.
The first thought that ran through
26 Lubbock Senior Link
Starla Ewan
A Teacher
of Life
by Catherine Rosales
my head was, “What did I just sign busy with our hectic lives of school
myself up for?” Her class was a very and work. It was nice to be reminded
new environment for me - one I of the things that I could do to
didn’t know if I would ever become hopefully make someone’s day better.
accustomed to. Luckily, however, I While teaching us about the human
eventually began to appreciate the body, in many ways, Mrs. Ewan
structure of the class and her effective reminded us of what it is to be human.
methods of teaching. They encouraged Our lives are limited, but the courtesy
and often forced me to break away we can offer not only to others, but
from lazy old habits, to think critically, also to ourselves, is not.
and to be truly excited to learn.
Most notably, she reminded me of
Her swiftness in learning new the value of loving one’s self. At the
material mimicked her approach on end of every school year, she gives
life: to be proactive, efficient, and a list of advice concerning lifestyle
disciplined. She constantly urged and planning for the years ahead.
us to be diligent learners, kind to It’s common to hear teachers say
strangers, and above all, to want to that working hard at school will pay
become the best version of ourselves. off in the future. While this may be
In our studies, she always reminded good advice, Mrs. Ewan went beyond
us to review new material and to the cookie cutter list of encouraging
block our time. Simultaneously, she teacher quotes by sharing wisdom
gave us advice about offering courtesy about taking care of one’s self -
and compassion toward others. mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Every weekend, she’d give us an On her list of good habits, one phrase
“assignment” that involved offering a really stood out to me: “Laugh. Enjoy
small act of kindness to a stranger or life.” Three simple words made me
even a family member. Although the realize what I needed to rediscover in
tasks may seem like common sense, my life.
such as opening the door for someone,
replacing the toilet paper, or paying Surprisingly, I didn’t realize the
for the stranger behind you, they are huge impact she had left on me until
often easily forgotten as we become recently, when I walked by her old