What makes a hero? Is it someone who saves lives for a living or does an amazing action that saves others? I don’t believe that is the case. A hero can be someone who changes the people’s lives around them. This is what it is for me. My hero is Mr. Mullaney, my seventh grade literature teacher, he never lifted a car above his head to get someone out of harms way or stand in front of a bullet to save another, no, he changed my life in a totally different way.
Let me paint you a picture of seventh grade, I was at a new school after moving around multiple times not just from school to school but also from state to states. As one can expect a lonely life this does make. Then, I entered Mr. Mullaney’s room and things changed from being lonely to having a teacher who cared. Never before had a teacher who actually came over on the first day of school and ask me what book I am reading. Not only was I taken back, but also extremely surprised since this was the first time that day that a teacher had actually addressed me as an individual. I responded, “The once and Future King”. Mr. Mullaney then smiled and said that this was the first time a student of his had read such a high caliber book of their own free will. He then proceeded to tell me about other books that I would love which included Harrison Bergeron, an assortment of Edger Allen Poe, and the river world series. This started a good friendship between us.
From then on he would refer books to me and then after I finished them we would discuss them. After a while I started to read books extremely quick which astounded not only Mr. Mullaney but me as well. With Mr. Mullaney’s help I started to love reading even more then I had before starting seventh grade. I had started out reading just because I was kind of an outcast and books took me away from it all but thanks to Mr. Mullaney I learned to love books for a totally different reason, to enjoy the story and the journey it takes you on.
So I ask again what makes a hero? Must they leap tall buildings in a single bound? Or yank people out of a burning building? No, a hero doesn’t need to have a superman mentality, they only need to touch the lives of those around them in a truly unique way.