Sunday, May 26, 2013

What a Difference a Teacher Can Make

Today I saw a status on Facebook from my ninth grade Language Arts teacher.  She is retiring this week after many years of teaching.  She was one of those unique teachers who will be remembered by all of her students (and fondly by most of them).  She was a teacher who would reach out to troubled students and bring out the best in them.  She was a teacher who would help shy students find their voice.  She was a teacher who encouraged students to be their true self for she is one of those people who is not afraid to show her own true colors.  She was one of the people who helped me come out of what had been an utterly hellish junior high experience and begin to build myself back up, to start becoming a person who could once again believe in my own self-worth.  I'm sure she is completely unaware she even did that for me.

I had her again as my Creative Writing teacher my junior year.  She was the first person who made me believe that perhaps I had a bit of talent for writing.  Believe me when I tell you that was in the back of my mind when I decided to start a blog last week.  She made me believe that I had the ability to tell stories and connect to an audience through my writing (I suppose you can disagree if you wish:).

As I read her farewell status, I couldn't help but think of other teachers who have had a strong impact on my life.  Some may have known at the time that they were important to me, others perhaps not.  Some are still teaching but many have, or are about to retire.  Those teachers have influenced so many students, and at such a critical time in their lives. There are few occupations that offer the chance to leave a long-lasting legacy the way teaching does.

I had many teachers, from preschool all the way through college.  Most were good, a few were bad, but I will be eternally grateful for that small handful who were truly extraordinary and and made a positive impact on my life. Those people were a blessing not only to me, but to my family because they helped shape me into the woman I am today.  I am a better person because of them.

I pray my children will be blessed to have caring, compassionate teachers placed in their lives at the times when they most need it.  I hope God will put teachers in their path who will be able to reach out to them in a meaningful way, especially at the times my kids don't want to reach out to me.  To all of you who are teachers, thank you for what you do.  Your influence is so much broader and wider than you could ever guess.  A great teacher can make all the difference in a child's life and thank you doesn't seem like near enough.

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