thedrifter
09-16-06, 08:19 AM
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Teacher says, 'always do your best'
ANNA CHANG-YEN - Daily Herald
Christina Mutch doesn't take second best. If she knows her students can do more, she won't back down.
Three former students described her as "strict" and "like a drill sergeant." Twenty-year-old Orrin Richardson said, "I guess you can say before boot camp, there was the English teacher."
When Richardson and two friends arrived at the Center for High School Studies in Provo, they were behind in credits in high school. Last spring they graduated, and now they're preparing for careers in the United States Marine Corps.
One might say that Mutch's "always do your best" attitude is catching. Asked why they chose the Marines, James Mullings, 20, said, "They're the best -- the most disciplined. Why would you take the easy way out?"
"They're the most respected," added Richardson.
The center is a project created by the Provo School District and run out of Centennial Middle School that provides one-on-one attention to get struggling kids back on track.
It was Mutch who pushed them the hardest. David Johns, 19, was the biggest challenge, she said. "He wanted to just do what he could and get away with it, but I wasn't going to let him do that. That was the thing I didn't want to hear in class -- he couldn't do it -- because I knew he could."
While it was difficult to live up to his teacher's expectations, Johns said now he understands why it was important. "After you complete what you needed to, your perspective changes."
When the trio graduated from Boot Camp in San Francisco on Sept. 8, Mutch and school secretary Gerri Apel were there to cheer them on.
"I felt like she was really dedicated to her work, to see the final product," Richardson said.
Mutch said she felt a special connection to the group of friends. "These three boys were just special from day one. They knew why they were here, they knew what they wanted to do. They came in with ideals, and they needed to settle down, and that's where I helped them come from. As the year progressed, they realized they were actually getting closer to achieving their goal."
The three will go on to their respective military careers. Johns will be an infantryman, while Richardson will work in welding. Mullings is slated to be a cook.
But before they left, Mutch had a promise to keep. She took them to the Rangemasters shooting range in Springville, where she let them fire a Colt .45 given to her father by Gen. George S. Patton during World War II. "I promised if they got through, they could shoot it," she said.
"We were the three goofiest kids in school," Johns said. "They called us the three stooges." And while the going was sometimes tough, the men agreed that one teacher in particular helped put them on this path. "She made Marines."
Anna Chang-Yen can be reached at 344-2549 or annac@heraldextra.com.
Ellie
Teacher says, 'always do your best'
ANNA CHANG-YEN - Daily Herald
Christina Mutch doesn't take second best. If she knows her students can do more, she won't back down.
Three former students described her as "strict" and "like a drill sergeant." Twenty-year-old Orrin Richardson said, "I guess you can say before boot camp, there was the English teacher."
When Richardson and two friends arrived at the Center for High School Studies in Provo, they were behind in credits in high school. Last spring they graduated, and now they're preparing for careers in the United States Marine Corps.
One might say that Mutch's "always do your best" attitude is catching. Asked why they chose the Marines, James Mullings, 20, said, "They're the best -- the most disciplined. Why would you take the easy way out?"
"They're the most respected," added Richardson.
The center is a project created by the Provo School District and run out of Centennial Middle School that provides one-on-one attention to get struggling kids back on track.
It was Mutch who pushed them the hardest. David Johns, 19, was the biggest challenge, she said. "He wanted to just do what he could and get away with it, but I wasn't going to let him do that. That was the thing I didn't want to hear in class -- he couldn't do it -- because I knew he could."
While it was difficult to live up to his teacher's expectations, Johns said now he understands why it was important. "After you complete what you needed to, your perspective changes."
When the trio graduated from Boot Camp in San Francisco on Sept. 8, Mutch and school secretary Gerri Apel were there to cheer them on.
"I felt like she was really dedicated to her work, to see the final product," Richardson said.
Mutch said she felt a special connection to the group of friends. "These three boys were just special from day one. They knew why they were here, they knew what they wanted to do. They came in with ideals, and they needed to settle down, and that's where I helped them come from. As the year progressed, they realized they were actually getting closer to achieving their goal."
The three will go on to their respective military careers. Johns will be an infantryman, while Richardson will work in welding. Mullings is slated to be a cook.
But before they left, Mutch had a promise to keep. She took them to the Rangemasters shooting range in Springville, where she let them fire a Colt .45 given to her father by Gen. George S. Patton during World War II. "I promised if they got through, they could shoot it," she said.
"We were the three goofiest kids in school," Johns said. "They called us the three stooges." And while the going was sometimes tough, the men agreed that one teacher in particular helped put them on this path. "She made Marines."
Anna Chang-Yen can be reached at 344-2549 or annac@heraldextra.com.
Ellie