Shattered Lives

Teachers are special people who have the dynamics to mold the students' lives in a way that they can make a difference in the world. Although some troublesome news appear about teachers taking advantage of students for sexual favors, this should not stigmatize all the hard-working and dedicated teachers. There are still excellent teachers in our school systems with their main goal in life to help students in order to become worthy citizens and to succeed in life. Shattered Lives is a book of a teacher, Mrs. Ariana Jarvis, whose love, compassion and commitment to the teaching profession, leads her to be the most popular teacher in Bedford High School. She knows what and how to teach, and above all to recognize students' weaknesses and strengths. She not only helps her students with their subjects but also elevates their self-esteem and confidence in order to be successful, as she has done with Mark Sterns, a senior at Bedford High School. Under Mrs. Jarvis' guidance and with the help of the school custodian, Mr. Marvel, Mark Sterns blossoms from a mediocre student to an excellent student. With their help, Mark is able to liberate himself from his abusive environment and to become assertive and confident that at the end, he becomes a medical doctor, helping others. Shattered Lives is a book of a teacher's love that gives everything to her profession and becomes the envy of others by framing her for a crime that she has never committed. Shattered Lives, is a book of intertwined and shattered lives that at the end, the most powerful natural forces: love, justice, honesty and respect conquer evil and jealousy. Shattered Lives depicts and epitomizes the ingredients of a unique teacher, Mrs. Ariana Jarvis, who loves life, her students and all humans, believing strongly that life requires participation in helping others, and the stamina to fight the obstacles of every day living, against the odds, in order to succeed in life.