A short aside to begin: Sophie is the 2017 - 2018 winner of the Grace Kingsley Award presented to the female King George student with the biggest potty-mouth in the school. You are following a true legend, Sophie, but I am sure that Grace would be impressed with your ability to curse, swear, and make inappropriate comments of all types. Congratulations... I guess.
My earliest memory of Sophie is a little odd. I never taught her in grade 8 but I definitely noticed her. She was always at school very early and would usually sit at a locker right near the office. She had a nice smile and seemed friendly but what I found most intriguing at that time was... her voice! It was pretty husky and super clear and confident. I LOVED it!! "This kid needs to be in radio" I'd think to myself.
Full disclosure: sometimes I'd hang out by my mailbox in the office (pretending to look through papers) just to hear that voice a little longer. I asked a teacher at one point: who is the cute little Chinese girl with the distinctive voice? The teacher answered with no hesitation: "that must be Sophie. She's so great!".
And she really is great! I was so excited when I finally got to teach her last year. I'd gotten to know her a tiny bit and Ms Sidhu had assured me that she was a wonderful student (though a bit talkative at times. hehehe). She started PreCalculus 11 a little slow but after a month or so she kicked it into gear and her effort since then (continuing into Calculus 12) is nothing short of amazing. What I admire most about Sophie is her willingness to keep working hard, even after getting marks that she considers disappointing (not that they are ever that bad). It's one thing to show determination and persistence when things are going well but it's quite another after experiencing disappointment. In my opinion, this is the number one indicator of future success: the ability to keep going and keep going and keep going, no matter how many challenges life throws at you.
And Sophie has had to deal with a LOT of challenges in her young life (of MUCH greater importance than her Math marks). Honestly, she is an extraordinarily brave, wise, and inspiring human being. The fact that she is at school every day, radiating positivity (bad language aside!), supporting friends and succeeding at her studies is almost incomprehensible to me.
I was given some extremely bad news a couple months ago about my dad's health (he was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease). Obviously, this news left me (and still does) feeling helpless and upset and bitterly sad. In the days after I first found out, many friends and family tried to console me, to varying degrees of success. And then, one of the most magical things in my 21-years of teaching happened...
Sophie and (the wonderful) Anelia were in my classroom during my spare block and gently pressed me as to why I seemed to sad. Finally, I decided that I would tell them about my father's health. They were both so generous and comforting. And the things that Sophie said to me - drawing from her own experiences - made (and continue to make) more of a difference to me than what anyone else has said to me before or since. She told me things about making memories, and the importance of laughter, and the power of completion (getting to say everything you've ever wanted to say to someone). It was extremely powerful and meaningful to me. And the fact that it was a 17-year old student telling me EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR will always make it memorable and extra-special to me.
Sophie, some people say (and I agree) that the greatest satisfaction you can experience in life is to make a tangible difference with another human being. I want you to know that you have made a difference in my life in how I will relate to my dad in however much longer I have to spend with him. I have thought about the things you said to me every day since then and I will continue to do so. I have nothing but love and admiration for you, Sophie. So happy to have gotten to teach you these past two years! You are amazing!