Teachers in Nathaniels Life Essay Example for Free

Teachers in Nathaniels Life Essay Long after we finish school we remember our school teachers and experiences. We gain experience as a consequence of the situation or the people, who surround us. Our school teachers often help us to decide on important life choice and inspire us in our further pursuits. Nathaniel, the main character of the book The Soloist, written by Steve Lopez had several excellent teachers, who helped him with his experience in music and also in life. These three teachers helped Nathaniel during his personal difficulties and in the achievements he had along the way. Nathaniel’s first teacher was William Moon. Moon appeared in a complex and transitional period of Nathaniel’s life, when Nathaniel’s personality and confidence started to fade. Before Nathaniel turned eleven he was the happiest child. He had a complete happy family, but soon after his life took an unexpected turn. Nathaniel’s parents divorced. Nathaniel wanted to see his father, to be with him, share his experiences, but the child felt that there’s no place in his father’s life or him. Nathaniel was shocked by these changes: he couldn’t understand why his father abandoned his family. Floria Ayers, his mother remarried and Nathaniel and his two sisters moved to their mother’ new husband’s house. Alexnader Mangrum, his new stepfather had four children. Nathaniel had very complicated relationships with his stepbrothers and stepsisters, who weren’t happy to see â€Å"strangers† in their house. Nathaniel considered to leave his mother’s home. He told his little sister: â€Å"Let’s run away†. But she answered him: â€Å"Where are we going to go? You don’t think they are going to call our mother in a minute we got there? † They spoke of running away to aunt and uncle’s home. Nathaniel’s confidence and outgoing personality slowly began to fade after a short stay at his father’s home, the young man returned to Cleveland more sullen, more broken and yet more grown-up, it seemed. And there, in Cleveland Nathaniel met him, his first teacher. William Moon inspired Nathaniel. He put into the student the love of music. Music became the escape from reality for the lonely teen. Mr. Moon’s daughter Marjorie was studying music at Ohio University and played a string bass. One day, when Nathaniel heard how Marjorie plays the string bass, he told Moon: â€Å"That’s what I want to do. I want to do what she does†. (p155) This decision has defined Nathaniel’s way forward. The aspiring musician did all his best. Soon Nathaniel became so good, that William Moon couldn’t help him any longer. Moon had become attached to Nathaniel so much, that he even considered Nathaniel to be his son. He referred his talented student to Cleveland Orchestra, where Nathaniel met the next very important person and mentor of his life. Harry Barnoff improved Nathaniel’s musical ability, but also the teacher helped Nathaniel to believe in himself. Barnoff grew up in conditions, similar to Nathaniel’s. Their parents weren’t musicians. Nathaniel found his own way himself like Barnoff many years before, thanks to fate and natural talent. Further Barnoff helped his student to believe in himself during the hard repressive time in American history and enroll in Julliard. Probably, Barnoff was the most beloved of all Nathaniel’s teachers. Even many years later, when Nathaniel was mentally ill and needed to hear a familiar voice, Nathaniel called Barnoff. Lopez mentioned: â€Å"For many years Harry Barnoff was the man Nathaniel tried so hard to impress. It was Barnoff he called when he was in trouble, and it was Barnoff, whose phone number he still had committed to memory more than twenty years after the last time he dialed it†. (p 175). These words show how much Nathaniel was attached to Barnoff. Barnoff wasn’t an ordinary character in Nathaniel’s life. Barnoff was Nathaniel’s teacher, spiritual relative guide and friend for many years. The two previous teachers have been a part of Nathaniel’s past. They have done a tremendous job in a building of Nathaniel’s character. But that’s not enough; Nathaniel needed the help and support for the present. As such, Pete Snyder came into Nathaniel’s life for that purpose. Snyder is a famous musician, who consented to give the lessons to Nathaniel. They met because of Steve Lopez. Snyder read the article and invited Lopez and Nathaniel to his concert. Snyder was going to help Nathaniel in finding his own way in his current situation. The teacher’s purpose was to rehabilitate Nathaniel through music. Snyder was someone like a doctor for Nathaniel. He was a doctor, who treated Nathaniel without medications. Snyder did it through Nathaniel’s enthusiasm for music and it paid off. Lopez states: â€Å"It was a promising break through. Nathaniel is confronting his fears and thinking more rationally† (p. 179) Also with Snyder’s help Lopez tried to persuade Nathaniel to move in to an apartment after thirty years living on the streets and he did just that. At first Nathaniel refused to be in an apartment. He said: â€Å"It’s not my room; I’m not going to be living in here†. (p. 167). However, a week after holding the lessons with Snyder, Nathaniel started to like his new place. One day Nathaniel went out his new apartment to the yard and he saw his neighbor James, who was smoking a cigarette there. When he finished, he threw a cigarette butt on the floor. Nathaniel hated to see garbage on the floor, especially cigarette butts. When Nathaniel saw it he came to James and said: â€Å"Excuse me, sir, you cannot smoke here† Nathaniel said it with such authority, as if he was a courtyard monitor. There stood in the yard and to James’s question: â€Å"Who are you? You don’t live there† Nathaniel pointed on the window of his room and said: â€Å"This is my place† (p. 186) I don’t think that Nathaniel would go so far without Peter Snyder. One day, when Nathaniel had a dialogue with Snyder about the reason of refusing the room. Nathaniel said that in the tunnel he hears the city and doesn’t feel cut off from it like he does inside these four walls. Snyder’s answer had to impress Nathaniel and gave him a different point of view:†Think of this as a clean quiet tunnel. Nathaniel got this point; he agreed that the room is a good decision for his passion, not a prison as he thought of before. Each of Nathaniel’s teachers made an important contribution in Nathaniel’s life. It changed it for the better I had similar experience. I was a very a stubborn child. I never listened to other people’s opinion and I didn’t listen to my school teachers. Probably the main reason for my attitude to teachers was that my teachers didn’t generally like their job and I sensed that. However, after I met my math teacher all that changed. She as very kind and very helpful. Professor Ahmatullaeva wasn’t an ordinary teacher, who taught basic math. She also showed us why math is interesting. She inspired us to learn math. Her attitude was completely different. When I saw her I remembered my mother. Her eyes beamed pure warmth. When she saw that we can’t do something she helped us, when she saw that we felt bad she took care about us. Farida Ahmatullaeva did her best for us. We were a big family for her. She always told us that we are her kids. Even after our graduation we came to school just to visit her. She was always touched that we loved and remembered her. Our teacher Farida remembered all of our names and everything we did in class. A couple days before leaving Tashkent I met her. She was also leaving my city to go to Russia. I remember this day as it was yesterday. I saw tears in her eyes. My teacher told me: â€Å"I know, you will do your best and achieve whatever you want. † She became very close for me because she wasn’t an ordinary teacher, she was also my friend and mentor. There’s no doubt that teachers are very important for the development of our personality. They take part in our educational and the moral foundations of our lives just as our parents do. Our first part of life is at home; as we grow up we continue our lives at school. Teachers become the next support and network by helping us to mature. That’s why becoming a teacher is a very responsible choice. Being a teacher goes beyond the delivery of the essential subject. It also means to be personally connected. Teacher is a bond between the person, who teaches knowledge to students and the person, who provide with a life experience. Also teacher tries to put themselves into the student’s shoes, share own point of view. Teacher helps a student make a decision and give new ways of looking at some experiences. If we are more aware, we have a wider disposal of choices.