a. The teacher's encouragement mattered because they were the figures of authority in his life and he did not want to disappoint them.
b. His mother believed that through education he can achieve more things in life. Get a better paying job and be better situated.
c. Teachers and parents are the models that we follow, the figures of authority. That is why they are so important to us and they shape our personality and future through their actions. Even though sometimes they we think that they are unfair to us they only want what is best for us and they are trying to teach us how to be better humans.