Thursday, November 29, 2007

A lesson to learn

Lesson one, just begun
Growing up, ain`t much fun
Grown up, out of school
Out of luck and out of rules
No one there to tell me how
A different world - teacher, teacher, teach me now

"Teacher Teacher" by Rockpile

I was talking to Mary at work the other day, and she was telling me about how things are so different from when we were in school. Her son loves to discuss things and debate various topics, but so many of the other kids are so apathetic that his teacher had to tell him to not join in on the discussion so that the other kids would speak up. I find that so sad...I understand why the teacher would say that, because she's trying to engage the other kids in the discussion, but how sad that she feels she has to tell one kid to be quiet, because the other kids just don't care to voice their opinion.

It got me to thinking about some of the teachers that I had through the years. Whether it was grade school, high school, or college, I was very fortunate to have some wonderful teachers, ones that I remember to this day. When I graduated from high school, my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Lineback, sent me a letter. She'd saved an essay I'd written in the fourth grade about what I wanted to be when I grew up. What a neat thing to do! In high school, there was Mr. Flatt, who taught English and writing. He had us all discussing Shakespeare, and actually being interested in it. He also was my instructor in Driver's Ed, and he kept his cool even when trying to teach me to parallel park. The man was a saint! Miss Spellman was my Chemistry teacher, and it's probably because of her that I went into healthcare. We took a field trip to a local hospital, and I was fascinated by the atmosphere. Mr. Cosner was my German teacher, as well as my World History teacher. He gave me a much-needed dose of self-confidence because he believed I could get past my shyness and be president of the German club. (He was right.) I went to a very small high school (there were about 100 people in my graduating class), so all of our teachers knew us well for several years, and we got plenty of personal attention.

In college, Dr. Warnes was my Bacteriology prof. He later became the chair of the Biology department, and recently stepped down. His knowledge inspired me to go into Microbiology after I got my degree in Medical Technology. Dr. Adalis was my Parasitology prof, and she had the same effect on me. It was because of the two of them that I ended up doing what I'm doing now.

Teaching is one of our most noble and important professions. A great teacher has the opportunity to influence lives in such profound ways. We should all be grateful to anyone who chooses that path because they care so much, since they will be shaping our future. Let's hear it for the teachers! Huzzah! Let's hear it for me getting to use the word "huzzah." Huzzah!

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