I was reading a touching blog entry by Larada Horner-Miller about the impact a teacher had on her career path, and it made me think back to some of the teachers who made a difference in my life.
One in particular was my 8th grade Math teacher, Mr. Morris.
He was funny, taught us interesting concepts that weren’t necessarily in the syllabus (like how to use long division to solve for a square root – I still remember the method, but have never seen it presented anywhere else), and taught us some valuable life lessons.
Here’s one example that perhaps might mirror something you experienced at some point:
He handed out a two-page test. It was full of simple things to do, like adding a couple of numbers, drawing a circle around something, etc. Being a good Math student, it seemed like a piece of cake, and I rushed through it. But I was only a quarter of the way when someone got up and turned in their paper.
How could that be?
I doubled down on my efforts, as more and more students got up and turned their papers in. Finally, I got to the last problem on the 2nd page, and read,
“Now that you have read all of the problems, sign your name and turn in the test.”
Of course, I had completely ignored the initial instruction on the first page that said:
“Before you start the test, read all of the problems.”
Mr. Morris wasn’t the only teacher to teach us life lessons.
Mr. Clamurro taught us Geometry, and sometimes didn’t provide enough information to actually solve the problem. You had to be really confident to write down “Insufficient Information” as your response.
Mr. Tenewitz gave us a quiz the first day of Calculus class, and I practically fell on the floor when he handed it back with a D-. I’m not sure I had ever had anything below a B+ in Math, so how could that be? Then I saw the grade distribution on the board: 3 D-‘s and all the rest were F’s. (He then told us that this was a freebie that wouldn’t count towards our grades.)
My second-grade teacher started a Spanish club after school, where we played games using the numbers, names and some other words in Spanish. From that day on, I couldn’t wait to start studying the language!
But back to Mr. Morris.
I was at a high school reunion, and re-met someone who also remembered him. He was 100 years old at this point, living in Ohio with his son, and she had his email address. I don’t think I had ever told him how much he had meant to me, so I sat down and wrote him an email about that. I was thrilled to actually get a response!
Now just think about how much difference a little act of gratitude can make to someone. And the act of giving it can open up your own heart in the process. I wrote about another example of this that my son experienced, in “The Power of Thank You Notes” linked below.
So my challenge to you is to right now think of someone to whom you owe a debt of gratitude, and let them know!
PS: Paul shares his own story in the comments below. You should definitely check out his website, and might want to sign up for his daily Gratitude posts – one short item per day that can help you start your day on the right foot!
Great story and memories, John!
As soon as I started to read the part about the test, I smiled! I had seen that test before, and I too, have given it to students when I was teaching. The funny thing is, we (well, I for sure!) still will skim past instructions when I am in a hurry or think I know what it says without even reading it! (Spoiler alert – it does not always turn out favorably!)
I had a college insturctor (I am not sure if she was faculty or adjunct) in my Junior year at R.I.T. Up until her class, I felt I was not a good writer/communicator. I never did well in English Comp classes, grammar was not my friend, and writing was a grind. I submitted a paper to her and she was the first to comment that it was an enjoyable read. She let me know that my writing style was if we were sitting in the college union, having a coffee, and talking.
WHAT?!?! My mind was blown. And, I was changed from that point on.
To this day, I do not consider myself a writer. Ironically, I have been published in numerous books, thousands of blog posts/articles, and have created technical manuals and instructions galore. Yes, I write. But I do not consider myself a writer. However, had I not had those comments, I doubt I would have continued to attempt to put pencil/pen to paper, and eventually fingers to the keypad.
I remember thanking her with elation and surprise. I am glad I did. We often overlook expressing our gratitude or appreciation for someone at the time it happens. That is something that I try to do on a daily basis.
Thanks for sharing, and letting me babble on (um, I mean, express my thougths and share my story).
Sometimes it can work the other way, too.
I had a professor I respected, who I asked to let me do an independent study. At the time, I was convinced that graduate work in Math was in my future.
After a few meetings, I realized I was totally unmotivated by blue-sky research in Math, and shifted my direction. I dropped the Honors part of my major, and branched out into Economics (and other subjects), ultimately completing majors in Math and Econ.
Instead of continuing on in academics, I went into a practical application of Math (the Actuarial profession), which allowed me to also focus my attention on other areas, eventually leading to my coaching practice.
I blogged about my Career Journey here.