Everyone knows by now Michael Oher's amazing rags-to-riches story of triumph. The Tuohys, the loving family that took in the homeless teenager, believed in Oher and played a tremendous role in bringing him out of his shell and into a life where he could succeed in all areas.
But it takes a village to raise a child, and since Oher is a big kid, he needed a big village. Sue Mitchell, Alpha Mu - Mississippi was one member of the community who took the young man under her wing and guided him in his academics. "Michael and I have a special relationship," Mitchell said. "We have worked together for more than five years and we are comfortable studying together. I know how he learns best, which makes the process easier."
Mitchell -- or "Miss Sue," as Oher calls her -- was a high school teacher in Memphis. While she did not work at Oher's high school, Briarcrest Christian School, she tutored him privately in the Tuohy home. Mitchell worked with the large left tackle for free -- five nights a week for four hours at a time. She was responsible for helping Oher raise his GPA from a 0.6 upon entering Briarcrest to a 2.05 by the time he graduated in 2005. "I always knew Michael would succeed," Mitchell said, "but that doesn't make me any less proud. Michael saw his opportunity and took advantage of it. Once he gained the necessary confidence, there was no stopping him in the classroom or on the football field."
Mitchell became an integral part of Oher's life, witnessing his high school graduation as well as the day he was drafted by the Ravens. She was also a major influence in his decision to attend the University of Mississippi, her alma mater. Spending so much time at the Tuohy home, Mitchell was bound to become another part of the task force that was Michael Oher's family.
"Everyone in the Tuohy family played a role in Michael's success," Mitchell said. "Leigh Anne (Alpha Mu - Mississippi) was the organizer or camp director. Each morning she made a list of what each person would do that day. As I mainly worked on English, Sean was recruited when other subjects needed studying. Michael's sister Collins, who was in some of his classes, was his friend and confidant. They often studied together. His brother S.J. was rather young at the time, but he would play basketball with Michael when he needed a break. "Michael was a member of the family from the first day he walked into the house. For most of his life, he was the only one who cared about his success. Now he had a group of people who held him accountable. While I believe depending on himself for so long helped make him who he is today, I saw how much he appreciated having others, in this case a family, support him as well. He had lived through the most difficult period of his life with only himself to count on and push him."
Now he had others to push, and push they did. Michael needed better than a 2.05 to qualify to play in the NCAA so Oher's foster father, Sean Tuohy, took matters into his own hands, enrolling Oher in a program at Brigham Young University where high school transcript grades could be replaced by one-week courses at the university. Mitchell worked alongside Sean to replace Oher's poor grades, one by one. "Any memorization was easy for Michael," Mitchell said. "We spent some time on grammar and sentence structure, but most of the time was spent on literature. Michael would read the assignment and then we would discuss what he read. He would always take notes to review before class.
"Michael was anxious to learn and do well in school; therefore, he was an ideal student. Michael had the ability, and contradictory to other reports, he was a capable reader. The most underestimated aspect of student performance is their support system, which Michael lacked for most of his life. He simply needed the reassurance that he could succeed." The reassurance didn't end once Oher began attending Ole Miss. Mitchell retired from teaching and moved to Oxford, Miss., to be near family and then took a job with Ole Miss as a learning specialist. She continued to tutor Oher and other student-athletes. Oher ended his freshman year at Ole Miss with a 3.75 GPA, landing him a spot on the dean's list.
"Michael wants to be the best and he will not stop until he reaches his goal, no matter the odds," Mitchell said. "He has confidence in his ability, yet is open to learn. I say that I always knew Michael would succeed because of his determination. The environment and peer pressure to which Michael was exposed would break or change most people. To overcome these life experiences takes an extraordinary amount of character." A support system is important and sometimes necessary to achieve success but individual, internal motivation is what makes a person. Oher's success can be attributed to his drive and will to be better, but a few nights at the table with Mitchell couldn't have hurt.
by Krystina Lucido, reprinted from www.pressboxonline.com