When Susan was a high school senior, her English teacher Mr. DiMeo gave the class a challenging task: Recite a poem in front of the whole class.
"I had a mild stutter（结巴）. I'd be 1 to get a word out that might begin with 'D'or 'TH', or I might say 'the' three times, " Susan said. The thought of getting up in front of her classmates and stuttering through the poem was too much to 2 .
Susan went home and 3 how scared she was to her mom, who agreed to write a note asking for her to be 4 from doing the task in front of the whole class.
When the day of the recitation came, Susan recited the poem one-on-one to Mr. DiMeo. 5 she was done, Mr. DiMeo said something she'd never heard before: that he liked listening to her voice. For the first time, she considered the possibility that public speaking didn't have to be a source of 6 .
Susan went on to graduate from high school and go to college. She never got to properly thank Mr. DiMeo. But sometime after college, she 7 a job as a corporate trainer. The new position made her realize how big a（n）8 he had had on her confidence.
"I stand up in front of people and speak, and I do it all the time. If I do stutter once in a while, no big deal, " she said. Susan recently found a way to 9 her former teacher, and plans on sending him a letter expressing her appreciation.
In her mind, Mr. DiMeo is an unsung hero, because he's a big reason why she has a successful career and life. "I don't know where I would've gone if I felt like I had to keep my voice 10 because I was afraid of embarrassing myself. I'd like to thank him for that kindness. "
