Yep, there’s a soft spot in our heart for teachers. (After all, we ARE the teacher’s credit union!)
I have fond (but vague) memories of teachers. When I was a kid, we moved around a lot. My dad was in the Navy, and we moved every couple of years. My younger brother always struggled with relocating — he was a very social guy who made friends easily and had his heart wrenched every time he had to leave his buddies behind.
As for me, I found solace in books and schools and teachers.
Mrs. Campbell. Mrs. Johnson. Mr. Zito. These are just a few of the teachers I remember from my childhood, which is quite a bit further back than I would like to admit. (Although, truly, my memory has always been a little sketchy due to all the place-hopping our family did.)
I’d like to think that we all have at least one teacher who affected our lives for the better. The one who told you that your artwork was awesome. The one who wrote “Very Interesting!” in red pen at the top of your book report. Or the one who didn’t believe you when you dramatically whined you couldn’t solve the math problem because it was TO-O-O-O-O HARD! And instead of letting you off the hook, that teacher challenged you, enlightened you, and inspired you. That teacher encouraged you. That teacher respected you. And that teacher told you that no matter what it was, no matter how impossible it seemed, “You could DO it!”
And you believed that teacher. And by believing that teacher, you learned to believe in yourself.
So… here’s to all the teachers who make a positive difference in a child’s life. In doing so, you are changing the world.
