Written by: Diane Hiller, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I was thinking about my next article today and thought back to my English Professor in college. I wish I could recall her name. She was one of those people, who pushed you and made you better, but really pissed you off first. It was an undergraduate English class. I did an assignment and got my paper back; I got an “F.” I was like are you kidding me? What is wrong with this person? I am a straight-A student. I went to my advisor. He said to take it up with her. So I did.
She said tell me what you think is on that paper, so I told her. She said now read that out loud; none of what you just said is written down. It would be best to remember that you are writing for others and an audience; they can’t read what is in your head, so do it over. She was, of course, right. She had a purple pen that she often used to comment on things that were not correct: too wordy was “wdy”, run-on, “rnn,” and there were many other dreaded abbreviations. An improper semicolon use was a serious crime that got you an immediate F. They would all be noted with the purple pen.
The thing about her was that she said this is the deal; you can re-write any assignment until you get the grade you want, as many times as you wish. I revised again and again. I do not know how many times. Often. I ended up taking several advanced classes with her. I took a higher-level course in Shakespeare, and one day, she singled me out and had me stand up and read out loud my analysis of “Othello.” I was shocked and proud. When the day came for me to write an admission letter for graduate school, I took it to her. As she sat at her desk, I waited for the pen to come out; I was so nervous I could not sit down. She kept reading, handed it to me, and said, “This is excellent.” I never really saw myself as a writer, but she inspired any actual ability I may have.
Then came the dreaded and mandatory statistics class; everyone struggled with it. It was just about impossible to pass or understand. Ruth was her name, along with the English professor and Algebra teacher, they are among the ones I recall the most. She was the best teacher I have ever encountered. She would explain things in 25 different ways if she had to until you understood it. Everyone passed. If you wanted an A, you worked for it.
Then there was the Algebra debacle. I had failed it in high school; yes, Miss Phi Beta Kappa failed her Algebra class and got the minimum score on her SAT because she was out partying the night before and fell asleep after she wrote her name on the sheet.
Timing is everything.
I knew I would have a hard time; I just did not get it. After a few weeks, I asked the teacher a question, and she said the following in front of everyone. “It is obvious to me that you are the only person here who does not understand or is too dumb to pass this class.” I had to pass this class; I knew I would not. So, I dropped it to an audit, which is not graded, sat through the whole semester, and learned nothing. Then I found a tutor, a young hotshot math guy, who helped me through the class.
So, I returned, and she saw me and rolled her eyes. “You, oh no.” But then I worked really hard with that tutor. The word problems were among the hardest to solve; they came at the end of the class. I can still see her handing me that paper with the A+ and smiling.
What is that phase of unknown origin?
“The truth will set you free, but first, it will piss you off.”
Yes, two of them embarrassed me, made me angry, forced me to look at what I needed to see, and yes, they inspired me, propelled me to grow, and made me better. I am so grateful to them. They will always be remembered as part of my story.
Diane Hiller, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Diane is a Licensed Psychotherapist, Psychic Medium, Certified Feng Shui Master, and Medical Intuitive. She has been tested for accuracy. After working in the nursing field as an LPN. She returned to college and received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. She then went on to earn her Master's (MSW) with a Major in Clinical and a Minor in Research, both from the University of Connecticut. She is licensed by State examination as an LCSW. In 2005 she founded Elemental Empowerments, LLC. She is noted in the book “The Top 100 Psychics and Astrologers in America.”In February, she was honored and humbled to be named TOP PSYCHIC MEDIUM OF THE YEAR for 2023 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) "for her outstanding leadership, dedication, commitment, and enlightenment to her field." She will be presented with an award in December at the Plaza Hotel in NYC. Diane is considered one of the most well-researched psychics In North America.
