my teachers of choice

Mrs. Gabrio was a delicately framed woman, long wavy blonde hair wildly flowing behind her; barely reaching five feet, her physical features were hardly an example of grandeur. Yet she always held a presence that made her seem a little taller, of course that could have simply been due to her being at least a head taller than all her student. We were in fifth grade, and nearing a critical turning point in our lives.  Mrs. Gabrio would be our teacher for the next two years, and had the challenge of preparing us for the next stage in our lives, Junior High School. It was no longer just about drawing pictures, learning numbers and letters, but about understanding personal responsibility and preparing for new educational process.  

Junior High came as a classic lost in the sauce scenario, no longer were we walked in straight lines as a classroom unit, gone were the days of same teacher all year, two years in a row. Now we were responsible for finding our way to our multiple scheduled classes, with a new and different teacher in each classroom, with their own personal style of teaching, and their own idea of a well-organized classroom, at first the self-responsibility of it all was personally crippling. When sixth period came my saving grace would come in the form of a balding grey-haired middle aged man with a little extra baggage in the stomach.  Mr. Thompson was former navy, and his no nonsense well organized style of teaching would prove more valuable than the actual subject he taught. From the very get go he set the standards and expectations for his class and all of came to a single conclusion: in order to pass this class you must remain well organized. He set standards,  raised standards, and then turned around and expected us to exceed those standards.

I am concerned about using this format in my paper, it seems too narrative... while our paper itself seems to require a strict essay format... PLEASE give me input!