It is the time of year when the days become shorter, the leaves start turning shades of yellow, red, and orange, and the air smells of bonfires at night. It also happens to be the time that children start heading back to school. I can remember the excitement the first few days of a new school year… new school supplies, new friends, and that feeling of being one grade higher and (hopefully!) a little wiser.
I also looked forward to meeting those people that I would spend every day with for the rest of the year: my teachers. I can remember a few key teachers that truly shaped the way I see the world, and so that is exactly what I owe them… the world! To celebrate those very special people in our lives, we present Heart of a Teacher by Paula Fox. Here are some quotes from the book:
“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” -Ignacio Estrada
“To the loved, a word of affection is a morsel, but to the love-starved, a word of affection can be a feast.” -Max Lucado
“If you must raise your voice, do it to cheer your students on.” -Author unknown
“If kids come to us (educators/teachers) from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job easier. If they do not come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important.” -Barbara Color
“More people fail for lack of encouragement, than for any other reason.” -Ruth Bell Graham
“A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” -Forest E. Witcraft
How have teachers influenced your life? Share this post with those teachers in your life, and encourage those who encouraged you!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is not quite the story you are asking for, but it is one that almost fits. Your blog made me think of it, so thank you for that.
Many years ago I taught “difficult” 15 and 16 year olds. Occasionally, to encourage them to work quietly, I would sketch one of them. One drew a sketch for me, expressing how he thought I must feel, coming to face the class each Monday morning.
I took a break from teaching, and held an exhibition in my local shopping area. This student, now out of school, came to visit and asked me to draw him. I did this, insisting that he not smoke for the duration of the work.
Years later he was in trouble, and in jail. Another of his classmates told me, when I asked how he was holding up, that the one thing he had asked to be brought to him was the sketch I had made of him that day, several years before.
I have always hoped that when he looked at that portrait he remembered that there was at least one teacher who believed in him.
Kay, that’s such an amazing story… I’m going to repost that for all of our readers, because I’d like for everyone to think about the little things that we do that can make a big difference.