The teacher who helped Steve Jobs go from a bad student to a technology legend

“I am sure that if it were not for teachers like Ms. Hill, I would have ended up in jail,” Steve Jobs once expressed his gratitude.

Steve Jobs (1955-2011) was an American businessman, inventor, and co-founder of Apple. Before becoming the most influential person in the world of technology, he was an unwanted child, adopted by Clara and Paul Jobs immediately after birth, and experienced many ups and downs in life.

"Super naughty" in elementary school

According to Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, Jobs’ mother taught him how to read before he started elementary school. However, this caused some problems. “I was bored for the first few years, so I kept myself busy by getting into trouble,” the Apple founder once said. He felt that the rules at school were trying to defeat his curiosity and desire to explore.

Apple's founder was a bad student in school. Photo: CNBC

Monta Loma Elementary School, a series of low-slung buildings dating from 1950, was a school where Jobs got into mischief with his friend Rick Ferrentino, who also wanted to combat boredom. For example, the two made little posters that said “Bring Your Pet to School,” causing chaos as dogs and cats chased teachers.

Another time, two students learned the combination to some of their friends’ bicycle locks. They went out and swapped all the locks, leaving many people scrambling until nightfall to retrieve their bikes. By third grade, the pranks had gotten more bizarre, including releasing snakes in the classroom. “We once put explosives under Ms. Thurman’s chair, which caused her to get nervous,” Jobs added.

Jobs was sent home two or three times before the end of third grade. However, at that time, his father began to treat him specially. With a calm but firm demeanor, hePaul Jobsdemanded that the school treat his son similarly. “Look, it’s not his fault. If you can’t get him interested in learning, it’s the teachers’ fault,” Mr. Paul told the teachers.

Steve Jobs was never punished by his parents for misbehavior in school. “My grandfather was an alcoholic and beat my father with a belt, but I’m not sure I ever got a spanking,” the tech mogul recalled in his biography.

Was "bribed" by the teacher to do homework

In fourth grade, the school decided to separate Jobs and Ferrentino into separate classes to curb their mischief. During that school year, Jobs was fortunate to meet a teacher named Imogene Hill, known as Teddy, whom he considered “one of the saints.” After just a few weeks of watching Jobs, she figured out how best to pique his interest.

One day, she handed a troublemaker a book and said, “I want you to take this home and solve the problems in it.” Before Jobs could recover from his surprise, she offered him five dollars and giant lollipops if he finished and solved most of them correctly. The bribe worked. Jobs returned the book to Teddy after only two days. In return, she gave him the tools to build his own camera.

A few months later, he no longer even expected bribes. “I just wanted to learn and make her happy,” the tech legend said.

He called his fourth-grade teacher "one of the saints of my life." Photo: Loopfy

Near the end of fourth grade, Ms. Hill tested Jobs’s academic performance and found that he was at the level of a seventh grader. Now, it was clear that not only Jobs and his parents but also his teachers had to acknowledge his superior intelligence. The school suggested that Jobs “skip” straight to seventh grade, hoping to create a challenging environment for the intelligent student.

However, his parents decided to let him skip just one grade. The fourth grader became a student at Crittenden Middle School.

The move was a tumultuous one for Steve Jobs. He became a loner, having difficulty socializing with kids a year older. Just a short walk from his old school, Crittenden was a world apart, in an area with a lot of complex elements.

Amidst the chaos, Jobs was often bullied at school for being too smart. In the middle of seventh grade, he gave his parents an ultimatum, insisting on transferring schools despite the financial hardship.

The value of good teachers

Jobs' future path was full of obstacles, such as having to drop out of college in his first year because he couldn't afford the tuition, having to sleep on the floor in a friend's room, selling bottles to buy food, and walking 11 km to get free food at a temple on Sundays. However, the chance meeting with Teddy during his childhood years was a turning point that clearly changed his perception.

For Jobs, he learned more in fourth grade than in any other year of school, and Ms. Teddy taught him more than any other teacher. “She saw something in me. I’m sure if it weren’t for teachers like Ms. Hill, I would have ended up in jail,” Steve Jobs expressed his gratitude in a 1995 interview.

Deeply understanding the value of a good teacher, Jobs showed his passion for sharing his knowledge with others. Jonathan Rotenberg, co-founder of the Boston Computer Society - the world's largest organization of personal computer users, wrote the book "My Teacher Steve Jobs", according to Your Story.

In it, Rotenberg details his encounter with Jobs at age 18 and how the tech legend became a great mentor in his life.“Steve learned early on that life can be limitless if we are open to seeing things differently,” Rotenberg writes.

According to VNE