Teachers make indelible impressions on our lives- sometimes in ways we don’t even know. I was fortunate enough to have wonderful teachers who provided me with the skills and confidence needed for future success. Now that I’m a high school English teacher, I recognize this more than ever before. Teacher Appreciation Week is an opportunity to thank them publicly, wherever they may be. Another way I hope to pay them back is by showing my appreciation to current teachers- I’m offering a back to school icebreaker activity as a freebie for this week (check for it at the bottom of the post).
Miss Manley
I remember that I was enamored with her in second grade. My best friend had earned straight “O’s” and I wanted to do the same. She encouraged to pursue my goal and when I achieved all outstanding grades, I learned that I could be a successful student.
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| This is my third grade class with Mrs. Ronald.
Easy to note that this was the 70’s. |
Mrs. Ronald
She is the teacher who started my passion for writing. In third grade, we had to write poems about colors. Mine was silly, comparing the color gold to monkeys, but she read it aloud as an example for the class. Her praise made me feel like an outstanding writer.
Mrs. McClure
I wasn’t fond of reading until fifth grade when Mrs. McClure introduced me to the book, Taran the Wanderer, and to The Chronicles of Prydian by Lloyd Alexander. I enjoyed the first book so much that I read the entire series.
Mr. Parker
Mr. Parker was an imposing African American teacher who intimidated some students but not me. When I was only in sixth grade, he encouraged me to create a school newspaper. He also served as a role model and taught me to be an open-minded person.
Mr. Livingood
Sometimes we don’t appreciate a teacher until long after we’ve left his class; this was true with Mr. Livingood. In high school English, he required me to rewrite an essay to correct run-on sentences. In my corrected essay, I made new errors, writing fragments. He asked me to fix the essay again and rewrite it a third time. Needless to say, he taught me an important lesson.
Mrs. Fellows
Our journalism advisor Mrs. Fellows encouraged me to write on the school newspaper and promoted me to the feature editor. She also chaperoned me and other students at several school newspaper conferences including one at Columbia University in New York City and The National High School Journalism Convention in Chicago. I especially appreciate the personal time she sacrificed to take us on these trips.
Mr. Stallone
He was my biology teacher but also sponsored the school ski club. Back in the eighties (I doubt that we could even have a ski club now for liability reasons), he took groups of high school students across the country to ski resorts in Colorado and Utah. Bless him! I can’t even imagine how nervous I would be to chaperone students on trips like this today. These trips were some of my favorite memories from high school.
Monsieur Rummings
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| He also exposed me to one of my all-time
favorite books, Le Petit Prince. |
I started studying French in middle school and Mr. Rummings taught me in high school through level six. French wasn’t the easiest subject for me, but he always encouraged and challenged me to persevere. During the summer between junior and senior years of high school, I participated in a student exchange, living in France for six weeks. Upon my return, he asked me to make a presentation to the class and admired my improved accent.
Of course, there have been other admired teachers over the years, but these are a few who I recall easily. In the future, I hope that I can be remembered as fondly by some of my students. Which teachers would you thank if you could talk with them now? Please share your stories in the comments below.
