2 Chainz was on the verge of being expelled from school — until a math teacher's letter altered his life
'I think Miss Love is very important because at that point, and that young, I didn't have the wisdom that I have now,' the celebrity confessed
Sometimes, all you need is a supportive teacher who believes in you to spark a fire that burns for life. There are stories of several famous people who credit their successes to their teachers, and American rapper 2 Chainz, aka Tauheed Epps, is one of them.
Epps was on David Begnaud's (@davidbegnaud) "The Person Who Believed In Me" podcast (@believedpocast) on March 4, where he spoke about his high school teacher, Miss Love. Epps revealed how a letter she wrote to the school saved him from a dark moment during his teenage years and made him stronger. The video has gotten 234K views and 16.1K likes so far.
In the extended version of the podcast on YouTube, Epps explained that Miss Love decided to stand up for him when he got in trouble for cocaine possession under his school's zero-tolerance drug policy. At the time, Epps was already receiving basketball scholarship offers and hoping to pursue the sport in college. But when another student was caught with drugs and identified him, the school moved to push him out.
In her letter, Miss Love pleaded with the authorities to show compassion, writing, "Don't throw this child away. Give him a second chance."
Looking back, Epps said he never forgot the teacher who chose to believe in him. "I think Miss Love is very important because at that point, and that young, I didn't have the wisdom that I have now," he recalled. After hearing how Epps spoke about his teacher, Begnaud convinced him to call Miss Love while they were still recording. He did, and when she picked up, you could hear the warmth and love pouring out of her voice as she spoke to her former student. After catching up for a few seconds, Begnaud asked Miss Love if she remembered the said incident.
He wanted to know what made her write the letter to the school, asking them to "save this child." Miss Love began by saying that she loved all of her students like her own, and she believed that Epps had greater things in store for him than going to jail. She admitted that he was one of her favorite students, recalling times when she felt under the weather, and he would step up and help control the classroom "like a teacher." She could see his potential and leadership skills from a very young age.
Miss Love recalled conversations she had with Epps. He was determined to be successful one day and have his own business. She backed him up with her faith in his dreams. She even admitted on the phone that it was because of his success that she "became a better teacher."
Epps was speechless at her confession, and when Begnaum asked him how it felt, he admitted that he did not even know Miss Love felt that way because of him. She added, "He taught me how to think different. We truly believed in him." Her words that saved him back then still had a strong effect on him now as an adult.
The role of a teacher is not limited to just academics. If Miss Love had stuck to just teaching Epps the syllabus, he might not have become the man he is today.
A study published by the APA revealed that when relationships between a student and a teacher are improved, positive effects can be seen in the student's academic and social development. YouGov conducted a poll to see the rate of Americans whose lives were changed because of a teacher, and the results showed that more than half (53%) of the participants had a teacher who made their lives better, while 32% said they did not have such a figure in their school. Epps was one of the lucky ones who had teachers who cared about his well-being and future.
The story struck a chord with viewers, and they also admired Miss Love in the comments. @them_lions wrote, "I don’t know this lady, but I’m so glad that she saved him." @theblackcarrieb shared, "Flowers for Ms. Love. I went to the same high school and was in his class, but we never met. This goes to show we have no idea of God’s work behind and the impact it will have on people’s lives. You can tell they have a beautiful bond." @bruce_vs_psg, a fellow student at Epps' school, commented, "Miss Love was everybody's favorite teacher at North Clayton. She is truly one of them ones."
You can follow David Begnaum (@davidbegnaum) and his podcast (@believedpodcast) for more inspiring stories.
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