Dear Teacher with a Favorite Teacher,
This week is Celebrate Literacy Week. The theme is Humanity Tells a Story: What's Your Chapter? When I first heard the theme, I was a little confused, but as the week progressed, I saw some truly unique displays: teachers reading first chapters of their favorite books, kids telling their stories and dressing as their favorite historical figures. I even saw a teacher wearing a Wonder Woman shirt and a white tu tu with a matching mask. To me, she was the embodiment of every teacher on the globe this year. Cliche` as it may sound, teachers have always been the superheroes of our society. This year even more so. To prove it, I asked a few people about their favorite teachers. It amazed me how vivid their recall was. That's when it occurred to me that the favorite teacher question could elicit a vivid response from every person on the planet. That's because a superhero who changes your life isn't easily forgotten. Don't believe it. Read their stories.
- My favorite teacher was Myrtis T. Copeland - 5th grade; she recognized my sadness (loss of my father) but gave me no excuses. I was in the 5th grade and reading at a 3rd grade level. At the end of my 5th grade year, she had me reading the 8th grade literature book.
- My favorite teachers was Robin Ladd. Mrs. Ladd taught 8th grade algebra, and I thought I had no business being in her class. I thought I was terrible at math. She asked me to stay after school so she could help me. I ended up being one of five students who made the MathCounts team; we ended up winning 3rd place at the state competition. I still detest math, and I do not believe I'm very good at it. But she showed me that investment and confidence were key factors a teacher gives to students.
-Mrs. Lebeau, my kindergarten teacher was my favorite teacher. I came home from the first day of Kindergarten and told my mom I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher like Mrs. Lebeau…15 years later, I was!
-My Dad was my favorite teacher. He was also my pastor. He taught me how to listen to people and pay attention to not only what they are saying, but what they are not saying - to be observant. He taught me how to be a mediator and to avoid confrontation if possible. He taught me how to look for the positive when bad things happen, not to “sweat the small stuff,” and to trust that God is always in control.
-Mrs. Krasnosky- She was my 3rd grade teacher. I think she stands out to me because she was the first teacher I had that did more than just “school.” As rewards, she would help cultivate hobbies we had. I remember the most, when she would bring in ceramic figurines for us to paint. She also taught us to line dance. It just brought to life to me that school was more than just learning to read, write, and do math. It was about learning new things about the world and about yourself.
- Ms. Todd was my 6th grade science teacher. My first week there it was picture day and I remember her calling me up and asking if I knew about it, to which I did not. She said, “I bet your mom would want you to have school pictures, so I am going to give you the money to order them and your mom can just pay be back.” Of course my mom was extremely grateful and I have reflected back on that moment many times over the years. Her compassion for her students and her simple act of kindness helped this shy new girl feel like someone actually cared. What a blessing it was to later be able to work along side her as a colleague and friend.
- Mr Tipton was my favorite teacher. He was my 6th grade teacher when my dad left us. Later I found out that he told my mom that he had kept my grades on my report card the same because he knew I knew the content and figured if my grades dropped it would cause his perfectionist 6th grader more distress than she was already experiencing. He taught me a good teacher looks at the whole child and shows compassion and empathy even if the child doesn't know.
These stories made me wonder if the teachers ever knew how much of an impact they made on their students. Chances are they didn't.
Chances are you don't know either, and that's the greatest super power of all- saving others without an expectation of how they will respond. And the real beauty is you'll do it again tomorrow without a single thought of, "What's in it for me?"
-CDB