Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thank a Teacher

Training Students to Write Resolutions for Student Congress Debate 
U.S. Embassy Conference Room
 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan  June 2007



Ecclesiastes 12:9 NIV
"Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs."

I trudged, head down, into my senior English class silently celebrating the last English class I would take in high school. 

I’d struggled since 6th   grade with English. My grades hovered between Cs and As with an occasional F. My teachers didn’t explain what I was doing wrong, so I never improved, and my attitude soured.  

I slouched down in a desk, where I could disappear for 18 weeks and get my C.

Ms. Becky Richards walked into her classroom with the energy level of a college cheerleader.  I sat up straighter and paid attention as she spoke. Who is this person? She's different from my other teachers. I decided to give her a chance.

We read stories and wrote everyday in journals. She would correspond with me through notes in my journals. She was funny and laughed with me as I wrote jokes. I began to believe in my ability to write and gained confidence as she complimented my writing style.

She explained how to fix simple errors I made in grammar. Errors that could have been corrected sooner, if teachers had taught me.

One day, my friends and I were discussing career plans.  I preached about the lack of good teachers like Ms. Richards. As a result of bad teachers, I had carried a negative attitude toward English. Now I love it! We need more teachers like---

Then I heard the implication of my words. If the world is going to change, it should start with me. The one to become a teacher was the student who had been inspired by Ms. Richards.  

I had to rise to the challenge of working with students who had also been injured by poor teachers.

If I could learn how to teach, I was certain I could reach them.  After all, look what Ms. Richards did to change my attitude, communication skills, and life.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dear Lord, thank you for positive teachers in life.

No comments:

Post a Comment