No that was my great grandfather.

heres a few ideas.

you could start out with a story from your childhood or something more recent…but it has to be something that changed you and molded you into who you are today.

You could start out with a question, which is one of my favorites…like….”To describe who I am, I would have to take you back to (childhood story here) where so and so happened and made me the (name here) i am today. without that event or person i would be somebody entirely different. but instead this event tilled up the soil of my being and planted new seeds that rooted and grew into the person i have become.

(you get the idea…maybe not the seed thing but who knows…that might work for you…)

you could also start out with a quote from a person you know or a famous individual.

you could make it very pop styled and start with a quote from a hit song. and then detail how it describes you..

the possibilities are endless. But i agree with your teacher, Hi my name is… is a very rediculous way to start out a speech. You may never even need to say your name unless it is a requirement.

hope everything goes well!