Thursday, September 2, 2010

Teachers

Let's talk about teachers. Let's talk about those people who influence our young lives and the lives of our children just through the magic of their chosen professions. I can honestly say that I think teachers are some of the most underpaid, unappreciated people in our country. We pay athletes and actors millions of dollars to entertain us and yet we give peanuts to the people who shape our very lives and the lives of our children. What is more important than that? And most of the teachers I know don't do it for a pat on the back. They do it because it is their calling...their desire to make a difference in the lives of young people. They want to watch them grow and develop into fine human beings and, without anyone ever saying, "thank you", know that they took part in that creation. Parents send their children off into the world when they turn 18. Teachers send their children off into the world every year. It's called graduation.

We, as their students, put our teachers on a pedestal, amazed at their knowledge and ability to convey it to us so that we too can share in it. My teachers have been on my mind a lot in the last few years. Although they are still superheroes to me, things have happened that have made them more human to me. And it occurs to me that I never really said "thank you." I know they don't hear it enough, if at all, so I want to take this opportunity to say it.

I remember each one of my teachers. In kindergarten, way back in 1976, my teacher was Mrs. Sarah Smith. To this day, when I see her, she gives me a big hug and tells me how much she loves me. Thank you, Mrs. Smith, for being the coolest kindergarten teacher on the planet and for teaching me to color in the lines.

In first grade, I was blessed with Mrs. Bier. We lost her some time ago and I never got the chance to thank her for teaching me to read and write. I hope she knew how much I appreciated it.

In second grade, I had Mrs. Jolliffe. She is Mrs. Schultz now. I spoke with her one day on the phone while I was at work and she said, "This is Marilyn Schultz." It took me a few minutes to figure out who she was! It was funny. Thank you, Mrs. Schultz, for teaching me to accept the differences of others and to play fair.

In third grade, I had Mrs. Bortz. What an awesome lady! I still see her once in awhile and it's just like visiting with an old friend. Thank you, Mrs. Bortz, for teaching me patience while I was struggling with math.

In fourth grade, I had Mrs. Sprecher. I clearly remember discovering my love for social studies and knowledge of government and the law while in her class. Thank you for that, Mrs. Sprecher.

In fifth grade, I had Mrs. Mitzi Manthey. I remember thinking how cool it must be to have an exotic name like Mitzi! They say that when major current events happen, you never forget where you were when you got the news. I remember like it was yesterday, sitting in Mrs. Manthey's class when Mr. Pease (principal) announced that President Reagan had been shot by John Hinkley. And I remember Mrs. Manthey's reaction and how it really made me understand the impact of what had just happened. Thank you, Mrs. Manthey, for teaching me to care about others and to take the time to understand their pain and their happiness.

In sixth grade, I had Mr. Hull. Everyone wanted Mr. Hull for a teacher because he looked like Magnum P.I. (Tom Selleck). Mr. Hull had overcome polio as a child and walked differently than everyone else. On the first day of school, he explained that to us and it made the differences disappear. Thank you, Mr. Hull, for teaching me that the differences don't matter.

In seventh grade (junior high) I had a number of teachers, some of whom I also had in high school. Math was taught by Mr. James. I saw him recently and he thanked me for taking care of animals. His face lit up as he told me of his beloved dogs. It was a very cool moment. Thank you, Mr. James, for your patience with me while I continued to struggle with math and for never making me feel like I couldn't do it.

For Language Development, I had Mrs. Harmon. I loved that class and looked forward to it every day. Thank you, Mrs. Harmon, for making it interesting and for helping me discover a love of writing.

High school...it seems like such a long time ago. In 2009, my class celebrated our 20th class reunion. (That's 1989 for those who are math-impaired like me! :-) It hardly seems possible. Obviously, we would be here all day if I mention everyone from high school, so here are just a few...

For 6 consecutive years, I had Mrs. Casey for a teacher. She taught Language Arts in junior high and Spanish in high school. I can honestly say that I never had more fun in a classroom than I did in Spanish. I remember walking into class one day, shortly after the movie La Bamba had come out. I was singing the theme song to the movie and was quickly joined by some friends. Instead of telling us to take our seats and be quiet so she could start the day's lesson, Señora Casey got out the cassette player, turned on the song La Bamba and cranked the music while we all sang along and danced around the classroom. It was a blast and a memory I will carry for the rest of my life. And that is just one example of the fun we had in Spanish class. And guess what...along the way, amidst all the fun and laughing, I learned to speak some spanish too!
Señora Casey, gracias desde el fondo mi corazón para la enseñanza me divertirse mientras yo aprender. Gracias a la enseñanza me valoran el conocimient que tengo, a ser aceptación de otras y sólo para relajarse a veces e ir con la corriente.

Patti Smith...teacher of English and Speech. She assures me that now that I am pushing 40 I can drop the "Mrs." and call her Patti. I remember when one of our assignments in Speech was to tell jokes. Can you think of anything more fitting for me? What a riot that was! I even remember my joke. What is green and flies over Poland? Peter Panski! ROFLMAO! Thank you, Patti, for teaching me to have fun and laugh every day, to not take myself too seriously and to face my fears head-on. I dreaded taking Speech class ( a requirement) because I hated speaking in front of people. Not only did I take your speech class, I took Speech 2! And the fear of public speaking went away. Thank you for that, Patti!

Patti lives just down the road from me. One night, my brother had borrowed my car. No sooner did he pull out of my driveway, did I discover a kitten (Dante) who was in severe distress. I called everyone I could think of to try to get a ride to the emergency veterinary clinic. Finally, it occurred to me to try Patti. She answered the phone immediately and, without skipping a beat said, "Do you need my car? Come and get it!" Dante and I got to Patti's house where she was waiting with the keys. "Go help that little one!" she said. Dante had emergency surgery that night. How many people would just hand over the keys to their vehicle without a second thought in the rescue of an animal. Words cannot express how amazing that entire situation was. Thank you, Patti, for your love of animals and for being a great friend.

The last teacher I want to mention (and there are plenty more) is Linda Neef. Mrs. Neef, in a single day, had the greatest impact on my young life and I hope she knew it. She was born to be a teacher and no single person mastered the craft as well as she did.

When I was in high school, I was struggling a lot with math. I just couldn't seem to get my head around it and it was really getting me down. (Those of you who know me well know how dysfunctional I am when I can't understand something.) Beyond being afraid that a poor grade in Geometry would keep me off the softball field (my favorite place on earth), I was looking into colleges and feared it would block my entrance. Reading my face in her writing class one day, Mrs. Neef asked me to step out into the hallway. She said she could tell that something was weighing heavily on my mind and wondered if she could help. I explained my dilemma and, without words, she could read my anguish. She said, "Heidi, I am going to tell you something, but if you repeat it, I will deny I said it. I have been a teacher for a long time. I can add, subtract, multiply and divide. I can do fractions and percentages for purposes of figuring out grades. Beyond that, no one has ever asked me what x plus y equals and I have made it through just fine." And at that moment, everything fell into perspective and the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. She was right.

I passed Geometry by the skin of my teeth, but I did pass. I played softball and I got into college. In fact, I graduated from college 17 years ago. And you know what? No one has ever asked me what x plus y equals.

We lost this dear lady last year and not a day goes by that I don't think about her and the impact she had on my life. I hope she knew how much I loved her and how important she was..and still is. Her funeral was a beautiful and up-beat celebration of her life and her presence was palpable throughout the entire ceremony. Thank you, Mrs. Neef, for being yourself and answering the call to teach. Thank you for teaching me perspective and acceptance of that which I have no control. Thank you for teaching me peace and happiness in all that surrounds me. And thank you for teaching me to treasure the little things and celebrate the miracle of daily life. I miss you.

I know this is a long blog today, but I can't leave without mentioning one more very special teacher...my niece, Rachel. She is a teacher in North Carolina. Rachel, I am so proud of you and I am so grateful, on behalf of every young person who comes through your door, that you chose to be a teacher. They may not realize it now and they may never take the time to thank you, but I hope you know that, each and every day, you are a good influence on them and you are instrumental in shaping their lives. Nice work, my niece, nice work!

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