Frankly, I cry at the drop of a pin, always have. I know a little something about the potential power of 8th-grade teachers. I'll never forget Mrs. Gerhardt. I wouldn't normally share a link to one of my own stories in a comment to another story, but I think remembering her to pay tribute to your story makes it worth it..

Here's to the wonderful teacher who SAW me when I was very young, and who wasn't afraid to try to make a difference:

https://medium.com/james-finn/i-learned-the-consequences-of-gay-shame-at-14-fafd25a95dd3?sk=008fd8e9d73d35a89f5086e9bfa2cf36