She looked mean, straight forward, and emotionless. I've heard all the stories people said about her; "she was mean, has a smart mouth, and is down right disrespectful", I could just tell we wouldn't get along. she stood there in front of my freshman class telling us her rules (which I already knew I wasn't going to follow) of being in her classroom and that she was going to be tough on us because of the program we are in.

Once we left the classroom, I went straight to my guidance counselor telling  him that I couldn't stay in that class, I did not like her. he told me just put in an effort to be in the class; so I did, I tried it out to see how things went from there. some feared her, some disliked her, while others tried to keep their distance. she didn't care, as long as you respected her she had no problem. she ruined all the possible fun you could have in the hallway; if you heard them keys jingling and sometimes heals clicking, you just knew Mrs. Latonya Ford was coming.

    This program that I was in called AVID prepares us for college and that's were it all started. she became family, I had this woman that was strict on me, cared about the grades I got, and rewarded me when I made her proud. Those are the things my parents does, so for Mrs. Ford to have my back the way she does brought us to a whole different level. not only did she encourage the good things, she also guided me to make the right decisions, in school, with people, and in life. I ALWAYS tell Mrs. Ford I don't know how I would of made it through high school the way I did, if it wasn't for her stepping in. don't get me wrong, I'm not a bad kid or anything like that, I'm just lazy and needed someone other than my parents riding my back. when I look at other students and see them slacking off or not doing anything at all, it made me feel very lucky.

    When the upperclassmen use to say all those terrible things about Mrs. Ford I would defend her because they don't know her, they just went off of what everyone else say and they were the kids that always got in trouble. she's tough, I'm not denying that, she makes me mad almost everyday but she knows what's best for me and my future. the moments we share are irreplaceable and our bond is inseparable. Mrs. Ford is from Florida so her accent is still southern. her favorite thing to talk about is the college she attended which is FAMU. she would show everyone her song about being so FAMU.

 In ninth grade I use to be scared to be in honors classes because of the difficulty level. when she pushed me into taking a couple I loved them. it was easier to focus and i had smaller classes. Every time I had a problem I would text her and she always knew what to do to fix the problem. Mrs. Ford became another mother figure to me, always having my best interest at heart. she made my high school journey less challenging and more livable. I remember one time i was in english and me and my friend (who also had AVID) was going through something with our teacher. It was a time we reaally needed her and she was not at school. when shw got back the next day we gave her an ear full.

 Mrs. Ford's the teacher/disciplinarian with the loud southern accent, the wity attitude, always approaching someone as young man or lady, she's straight forward, and always closing the bathroom doors a little too early. She's more than a teacher/disciplinarian, she's a mother that can guide all her children in the right direction. She pushed me when I didnt think I could do it. Mrs. Ford and I have definately had our ups and downs but bringing her in my life was on of the greatest ups. now thats all about to change; Mrs. Ford had to move back to florida by the end of this school year. Everytime I think about it, I cry. How could someone that influenced my life so much jsut up and leave? I know its for a  good reason and she's happy to go back but the thought of having to go through senior year without one of my biggest supporters is down right scary. i just have to stay positive and support her bacause i know it's not easy having to leave people your grew such a strong connection with. She says " I'm always a facetime away."