From Hidden Brain Media, I'm Shankar of Edantam. This is my unsung hero, stories where one person reached out to help another in a time of need.

I do not know the full name of my unsung hero.

She came straight up to me, she looked me in the eyes, and she smiled.

So whoever you are, thank you so much.

Today's story comes from Susan Prescott.

Her Ransang Hero is her 12th grade English teacher Fred DeMeo. One day he assigned everyone a poem to recite in front of the class.

And I was terrified. I had a mild stutter. I'd be trying to get a word out that might begin with

D a hard D or a TH and the word wouldn't come out or I might say the three times.

And I thought there is no way I'm getting up there in front of my peers and speaking.

So I went home and I told my mother how I felt and she wrote me a note asking me to be excused from doing the assignment in front of the whole class.

So the day of the whole class. So the day of the public speaking assignment,

instead of giving it in front of my peers,

I gave it to him one on one after the school day.

And we sat down and I recited my poem.

And I don't remember if I stuttered,

but he looked at me when I was finished and he said, what was wrong with that? And I just sat there. And he said, I liked listening to your voice.

And I had never heard that before.

I think in his mind it was so minor and he wanted me to understand I have nothing to be afraid of.

And I didn't realize how empowering that would be for me.

And I never thanked him. I mean, I graduated and I just moved forward like a 18 year old person will do.

When I graduated from college, the second job I had was being a corporate trainer.

So I stand up in front of people and I speak and I do it all the time.

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