Thank you teachers.

[imwjl]

My twins are graduating high school and I had a few recent reminders of how much just a few good teachers do for kids but also how most of them are good.

My teacher wife has the van today bringing a whole lot of stuff home in essence reminding me what the teachers do beyond their obligations.

Something really interesting in these times is the virtual learning from pandemic created a network where some teachers made sure kids were getting education even if they were moved around a lot via poor family situations.

Just like my graduating decades ago, most were good teachers and each year one or a few were downright life changing. My boys were amazing for all the hard work they have done but I thank their teachers for some times and motivation that made all the difference.

Thank you teachers and parents. I see a fantastic crop of kids beyond my own who are moving on.

[RP]

I agree. Teachers catch so much flack for the poor behavior and overall unpreparedness of some students. If you can read this post, thank a teacher...

[Bob from Brooklyn]

They do way more than is in their job description. I'll leave it at that.

[KenL]

Nice to hear, as I'm married to a 33-yr. retired teacher. She is now in great demand up here in Colorado as a substitute.

And our kids are both doing quite well in very specialized professions thanks to the excellent public school teachers back in Nebraska.

[mr. beaumont]

As a teacher, seeing something like this makes me smile. Some days it's tough to do that. So thanks.

[rllink]

My granddaughter started kindergarten this year and about a month in the teacher told my daughter that my granddaughter had a hearing problem. My daughter told the teacher, no, she's got a listening problem. The teacher said that she had been teaching elementary kids for thirty a five years, and she had a hearing problem, and not just a little one. The teacher could hear it in her speech. My daughter took her to an audiologist and now she is sporting a pair of bright pink hearing aids with removable and replaceable stickers. She has significant hearing loss. Good for the teacher to have the experience and to pay enough attention to spot it early. I wonder how long we would have gone before we figured it out on our own.

[tbeltrans]

I agree with the sentiment of this thread. I particularly remember a teacher I had in 5th grade, Mr. McHenry. He played guitar and encouraged those in the class who played, to bring their guitars from time to time and play a tune or two for the class. I remember one kid who had a nice (probably Gibson) archtop who played chord melody, though I didn't know that at the time. That kid went on to play on the Johnny Carson show once or twice.

Anyway, Mr. McHenry told the class that he would teach a guitar class after school for any kid who wanted to learn. The kid who played the best at the end of the school year would get a guitar as a prize. It was an inexpensive classical guitar (probably Yamaha) and he provided it with his own money. He even provided some of the kids guitars as loaners if they couldn't afford to buy one.

I really wanted to take that class, but my parents were dead set against me even touching a guitar, so for me that had to wait until I was in the Army.

We had just moved from what is now Silicon Valley to LA and had to go to public school that year while my parents waited for openings in the Catholic school for the next year. That was my best year for grade school because we had such a cool teacher rather than getting knuckles slapped with a ruler all the time.

From what I hear of teachers these days, ti seems like a rather hellish existence since it doesn't seem that parents are involved in their child's education and discipline. Yet, the teachers persist and I hope there are occasional "wins" when a kid does well and moves on in life successfully. I hope that isn't the case with every teacher, but it seems like that is the case because that is all I hear about. Not having kids of my own, I am on the outside looking in, rather than having first hand knowledge of the situation.

Tony

[ewalling]

My wife taught high school, college and university in the US; I've done adult education, college, and university levels. We've found that just as in any other profession, there are some that are excellent, some fine, and some pretty awful.

There are also a multiplicity of reasons as to why people actually teach. Some come to it through an altruistic desire to help others learn and grow. Others are attracted by the longer holidays, while some choose it for relative job security. Some may find it fulfills a need they have to be the center of attention. There have also been some teachers I've known who seemed to relish the chance at some ideological soapbox, while others may simply enjoyed telling others what to do. Some have done it because they never quite worked what else they could do.

Teachers are not always missionaries put on this earth to shed light and goodness! What is curious, though, is that many kinds of teachers, not necessarily the altruistic or missionary types, can work for us and create, often inadvertently, the kinds of stimuli that spark our interest or study path.

[foxo]

I fondly remember a teacher of mine who taught creative writing when I was in sixth year. If it wasn't for him seeing something in my creative writing I doubt I'd have ever tried my hand at songwriting which is now by far my favourite pastime. I'll never forget his words when I showed him a poem I wrote - "foxy, this is marvellous, solid grade A stuff" - I was never a grade A student in school, I was absolutely taken aback! He made sure it was published in the school end of year magazine.

He got in touch with me recently to say he'd written a book about his time as a teacher. My friend jokingly suggested maybe I'm in it - I'll be slightly mortified if that's the case! https://www.amazon.co.uk/There-Pigeo.../dp/1780277733

[Dirk Hofman]

I can't imagine the nonsense these good folks put up with these days. They have my deepest appreciation.

[RP]

Last week's events in Uvalde, TX put a fine point on the notion that teaching can be a very dangerous profession...

[reeve21]

I was greatly influenced by several teachers, strongly considered teaching myself (realized I lacked the patience after doing some substitute work), and am still in touch with some of them many decades later. So thanks for the reminder!