Shattered dreams and wasted potential seemed like my destination. At the edge of my journey to self-destruction namely peer pressure and succumbing to my circumstances, my personal hero came along.

Growing up I did not really have any role models or people to guide me. My parents only taught me basic manners and right from wrong.

That should be enough to sustain kids, right?

I was always such a big misfit, but grade 7 really emphasised that fact. I did not have a lot of friends and making new friends were really hard. No one really understood me and I felt truly alone.

At school I was always told by my teachers that I was great and that I could one day achieve amazing things but I never really believed that. I had no reason to believe that because I did not know of anyone who ever did.

I gave up on life at a very young age and I did not even realize it. I pictured a life for myself just like the many dysfunctional ones I saw in my community. A life I was made to believe was destined for someone like me. Someone born into a family like mine with no success stories, a community fumbling and infested with broken dreams and shattered hopes. My circumstances were enough to compel me into the dark and twisted cycle of destitution like so many people I knew.

The bright eyed, intelligent and competitive girl I was, was destined to fade and be a very different person. I was meant to be a mirror reflecting everything happening in my community.

All I really wanted at that time was to have fun, be liked by everyone and have a lot of friends. My desire to fit in were so big, I would have done anything to fit in.

But I was never meant to fit in and thanks to a wonderful teacher, I learned to love and accept myself for who I was. He ensured me that I was good enough and that I could one day be great.

Mr. Coetzee is not just passionate about education, he also loves to help others and uplift the standards of his community.

I got to learn so much more from him than verbs, nouns and history. He made me realize my true potential and taught me to harvest big dreams for myself and I got to picture a life unlike the one I was preparing myself for.

Not only did he manage to make me want to pursue a successful career and a financially stable life but he also instilled the values in me of a honourable woman, that would guarantee that I live a respectful and dignified life. A life that would ensure that I would never do anything to make me ashamed of the woman I am.

I am not not sure if I would realised that all on my own at some point but all I know is that Mr. Coetzee really changed my life in more ways than one.

A hero is usually someone who wears a costume, performs heroic deeds and saves lifes. Mine is an awesome grade 7 teacher with a kind heart and a helping hand.