I was nine when I arrived at the Children's Home in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1965. I failed third grade that year, barely made it through a second time, and had merely passed through fourth grade by the time I reached Pauline Jambard's fifthgrade class at Charlotte Avenue Elementary School.
I believed I wasn't “smart” and popular like the other kids, and I hoped I could make it through fifth grade. Ms Jambard took an instant liking to me. Of all the subjects in school, reading was my favorite. She would tell me, “Terry, you keep reading. If you can understand what you're reading, you'll be smarter than most kids.” After I read all the books in our program, I started reading the classroom's set of Encyclopaedia Britannica. I couldn't find enough to read, and I started to really like school.
That December, the children's home threw a Christmas party for family and community members. My brother and I had no family to invite. I still remember looking up and seeing Ms Jambard walk through the front doors of the children's home and I realized that she was there on behalf of my parent. That made me feel it was the best Christmas of my life.
We have stayed in touch, and I call Pauline at least once a year. Because of the confidence she instilled (灌输) in me, I went on to have a successful career in engineering
