Oberlin High School teacher Janet Marshall, shares a smile with her student, Romian Strachan. The latter says Marshall is the reason he is who he is today. - Photo by Andrew Wildes

Oberlin High School teacher Janet Marshall is wholly persuaded that she has a 'special purpose', as a teacher, to impact the lives of her students for good.

It is perhaps no coincidence, therefore, that one of her students is convinced beyond every shadow of a doubt that he owes all his achievements to her faith in him.

Eighteen-year-old Romian Strachan started Oberlin High School on the wrong foot.

It was common practice for him to disrupt classes, to be linked 'to every brawl' - he was actually in one major fight and was "basically just going along with the crowd.

"Sometimes teachers didn't really want me in their class, especially Spanish class, because I wasn't interested," Strachan shared.

At the end of form three, his grade for Spanish was an appallingly 16 per cent.

"I was following the crowd, because if you don't go with the crowd no one really recognises you - and I was basically cracking under peer pressure," Strachan said.

Top student

Unbelievably though, on December 3, 2008, Strachan graduated as head boy of Oberlin High. At his graduation, Strachan was awarded top student in office administration, English language, first place in principles of business mock exam and prefect of the year. He was also awarded for his outstanding contribution to Nelson House.

Above all, Strachan - who also delivered the valedictory speech at his school-leaving ceremony - was the first person in his family to graduate high school, or to leave with more than two O'level subjects.

The bridge between a clearly disruptive and destructive past, and a brilliant present, Strachan explained, was a teacher who went above and beyond the call of duty to challenge him as well as to demonstrate to him that she believed in him.

Marshall started to teach Strachan in third form and, from that point on, it seems she was relentless in ensuring he did well.

Former duties

In fourth form she made him the leader of Nelson House, not long after she made him a junior prefect; she hustled him for his homework and tried to ensure that he was always on top of his work.

"At one point, I thought she was just doing her job when she was pushing me to do things but, when I see it reach a place where she started to quarrel with me for things, I realise that she really believe in my potential and I was letting her down - so that's when I really started, and then I got to like it all after a while, and I just kept on doing my best," Strachan said.

When he shared his story with Marshall, she was at a loss for words - claiming she had not known her life was making such an impact on him.

"He made my life, he made my day, he made my week by telling me this, because at the end of the day the ones who really achieve hardly come back and say thanks," Marshall said.

Marshall, who has been teaching for roughly 16 years - 10 of which have been at Oberlin - absolutely loves teaching and claims that it was teaching that chose her, and not the other way around.

"I love it. I think I love it too much," she said.

"I never saw myself as a teacher. I honestly think I was sent into the classroom by God, honestly."

"I think I'm here for a purpose, because it's not only the classroom thing. I've been a mother to my students; I've been a friend. some things that come to the table to you as a teacher, I don't think the training at any teachers' college can give you the expertise to deal with it."

It was that purpose-driven nature that compelled Marshall to ensure Strachan, despite his obstacles and even his own lack of interest at times, succeeded.

andrew.wildes@gleanerjm.com