--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By junior high, I was a horrible student…" description: "\"By junior high, I was a horrible student. But during my sophomore year of high school, I did have a fabulous English teacher, and I would go to school ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/andrea-barrett-19011_english-teacher_by-junior-high-i-was-a-horrible-student_1018008.jpg" --- # By junior high, I was a horrible student. But during my… ![“By junior high, I was a horrible student. But during my sophomore year of high school, I did have a fabulous English teacher, and I would go to school just for her class and then skip out afterwards. That's actually when I started writing, although I didn't think of it then as something I might…” quote by Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/andrea-barrett-19011_english-teacher_by-junior-high-i-was-a-horrible-student_1018008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/andrea-barrett-19011_english-teacher_by-junior-high-i-was-a-horrible-student_1018008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/andrea-barrett-19011_english-teacher_by-junior-high-i-was-a-horrible-student_1018008.jpg) > “By junior high, I was a horrible student. But during my sophomore year of high school, I did have a fabulous English teacher, and I would go to school just for her class and then skip out afterwards. That's actually when I started writing, although I didn't think of it then as something I might someday do.” [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A transformative teacher can ignite a passion for writing, turning a struggling student into an eager learner. **In simple terms:** A great teacher can spark a love for writing. Key Takeaway Seek mentors who inspire you. Themes education mentorship personal growth writing inspiration Mood reflective hopeful Type motivational educational When to use this quote - high school - writing workshops - literary clubs - personal journals - career decisions Key Concepts pedagogy motivation creative development Questions to Reflect On - Who in your life has sparked a lasting passion? - How can you become that catalyst for others? A Different Perspective Not all students find such a catalyst; reliance on a single teacher can be limiting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [English teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-teacher/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Junior high](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/junior-high/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Sophomore year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sophomore-year/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If you had seen me back in high school, there's no way you would have ever said I would become an author or teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/if-you-had-seen-me-back-in-high-school-there-s-no-way-you-would-have/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [I was a horrible student! It just sort of evolved as I started playing. I guess I became a master of it when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/i-was-a-horrible-student-it-just-sort-of-evolved-as-i-started-playing/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [I was a horrible student.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/i-was-a-horrible-student/) [Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/) > [There was kind of a pivotal moment in my life in junior high school when my English teacher told me I should be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rafferty/there-was-kind-of-a-pivotal-moment-in-my-life-in-junior-high-school/) [Sarah Rafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rafferty/) > [My English teacher wanted to have sex with me in Junior High. The only problem was, my English teacher was a guy. I smacked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/my-english-teacher-wanted-to-have-sex-with-me-in-junior-high-the-only/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [If I said in one of my songs that my English teacher wanted to have sex with me in junior high, all I'm saying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/if-i-said-in-one-of-my-songs-that-my-english-teacher-wanted-to-have/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [ My Name Is \[Chorus: x2\] Hi! My name is... (what?) My name is... (who?) My name is... \[scratches\] Slim Shady Hi! My name is...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-marie/my-name-is-chorus-x2-hi-my-name-is-what-my-name-is-who-my-name-is/) [Nikki Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-marie/) > [The entire making of 'Within and Without' was a series of experiments and trial by error. 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Any more than an actor can imagine acting without an audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-can-t-imagine-writing-if-i-didn-t-have-a-reader-any-more-than-an/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“If he didn't like the writing, then he didn't like her, and everything she had done in her whole life would be for nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alethea-kontis/if-he-didn-t-like-the-writing-then-he-didn-t-like-her-and-everything/) [Alethea Kontis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alethea-kontis/) > [I don't mind writing so I didn't find that difficult, it's just a question of finding the time to do it. I kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/i-don-t-mind-writing-so-i-didn-t-find-that-difficult-it-s-just-a/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) ## More by Andrea Barrett > [“It was through Peter that she first understood that the world existed before her, without her. For a few days she could not forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/it-was-through-peter-that-she-first-understood-that-the-world-existed/) [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) > [I grew up on Cape Cod. We didn't live right on the water, but I could walk to it and did every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/i-grew-up-on-cape-cod-we-didn-t-live-right-on-the-water-but-i-could/) [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) > [The thing I'm particularly interested in is natural history. 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I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/margot-livesey-my-dear-friend-reads-all-the-drafts-of-what-i-write/) [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) > [“Slowly, I began to relearn something I’d once grasped but had lost sight of: that emotion—that central element of fiction—derives not from information or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/slowly-i-began-to-relearn-something-i-d-once-grasped-but-had-lost/) [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) > [I read a lot, very passionately, from the time I was very young, but it was a constant battle; my mother would more or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/i-read-a-lot-very-passionately-from-the-time-i-was-very-young-but-it/) [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) > [There's actually nothing interesting about me except what I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/there-s-actually-nothing-interesting-about-me-except-what-i-write/) [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) > [The cure until the late 1940s, when there was an antibiotic discovered for tuberculosis, was basically rest. It was fresh, cold air, lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/the-cure-until-the-late-1940s-when-there-was-an-antibiotic-discovered/) [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) [Explore all 33 Andrea Barrett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) ## More English teacher quotes > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“The most awesome thing happened to me today. My former high school English teacher has been editing my book for me. 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She was an English teacher, and we read a play out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morse/when-i-was-in-school-in-eighth-grade-someone-recognized-something-in/) [David Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morse/) > [I've been writing ever since I was a child: I used to give my English teacher extra homework and say, 'What do you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-hope-fletcher/i-ve-been-writing-ever-since-i-was-a-child-i-used-to-give-my-english/) [Carrie Hope Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-hope-fletcher/) > [“The thing is, I think I like kids, more or less. 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