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How One Teacher Changed a Student’s Outlook on Math and Life

Published May 21, 2015

For Renaissance High School junior Brennan Donahue, math was a subject that not only he wanted nothing to do with, but one in which he thought he had no potential. That changed this school year thanks to the help, support and determination of Renaissance High School teacher Christine Gupton.

“We were told to do a project for math and so I thought what’s a way I can incorporate my story throughout the whole year of math struggling and then learning,” Brennan said. “I turned in a comic strip and Mrs. Gupton said you have more potential then that, so I said, OK, I’ll write you a song.”

Brennan says he’s always had a passion for audio so writing a song seemed to fit.

“I’m not a singer and I’m not a rapper by any means but I had all the resources I needed and I decided I can do that and it can be better than this comic strip,” Brennan said.

The song started off strictly about math and quickly evolved into showing thankfulness to a teacher who had impacted Brennan’s life far outside the walls of a math classroom.

“We started the year off enemies in my eyes,” said Brennan. “I clowned around and I goofed off at any chance thinking she would just dismiss me. She stayed on my back and had my back and would ask me what was going on when she noticed things were wrong. The project started as a song about math and ended a song about a teacher who I grew to greatly appreciate and respect.”

It was an emotional moment when Gupton first heard the song.

“I couldn’t help welling up,” said Gupton. “It was a very emotional moment for me. Brennan and I had a rough start to the school year and we both grew a lot during the year and taught each other a lot. So it was very neat to have that moment.”

Gupton hopes the song is an encouragement to teachers and students alike.

“I think this song will open up a student’s mind to the idea that their teacher really is in their corner and wanting them to do well and that the teacher really does have the student’s best interest at heart,” said Gupton.

Gupton also says this song affirms for her that teaching is her calling.

“I came to education late in life and I felt like it was a calling – every year there’s some point where I say maybe I didn’t understand the calling, maybe I got the wires crossed because this is really hard,” said Gupton. “What this song did for me was to reaffirm that it is a calling and it gave me confidence that I do have what it takes to connect with people who don’t think they connect well.”

From a student’s standpoint, Brennan hopes the song helps students to give teachers a chance to make a difference.

“I think a lot of people, myself included, just push teachers away because they’re teachers,” said Brennan. “Now being in my junior year when I’m looking at colleges, I think I spent two years clowning around and that has affected me. If I would have paid attention like I did this year, things would look different. Give teachers a chance, because this is a teacher I never saw myself having a close relationship with and today I do. Where we are now is not where I expected us to be and I am grateful for it.”