Making the grade: Thank a Teacher

I flipped through my paper one last time. Looking back now, I’m not sure what I was checking. I couldn’t have changed anything. I had been up late, the wee hours the night before, finishing up the ten-page paper on American General Douglas MacArthur.

“I thought for sure you said we had another week,” I whined to my teacher. Mr Reddy looked up from his grade book and was firm, but fair in his response. He said that I was mistaken. The due date had never changed.

He must have heard the fear and self doubt in my voice because he added that if I followed the directions he spelled out I would be fine. I straightened out the paper one last time and laid it on the corner of his desk. As I walked out, Mr. Reddy said he couldn’t wait to see what I had to say. I cursed myself for saying anything. Now he was going to read my paper with a fine tooth comb.

On pins and needles

A few days later, he handed the papers back to us. When he gave me mine, he told me that he wanted me to stay after class. He had comments in red throughout my paper, but no grade listed. I groaned. A paper full of comments and no letter grade, that couldn’t be a good sign.

In the end, it was the best of signs. When class ended and the room had emptied, he told me that he loved what I had written and the ideas that I had brought forward in my paper. He just wanted to see the look on my face when he handed me my grade. I had worried about the paper for nothing. In the end, he gave me an A-plus.

Light bulb moments

I’m thinking of Mr. Reddy this week and a few other teachers that I’ve had over the years. The U.S. celebrates National Teacher Appreciation Week the first full week of May. The event dates back to 1953, when Eleanor Roosevelt urged Congress to set aside a time to recognize educators.

I’ve had a few great educators in my life. I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. They’ve helped pave the way for the “light bulb moments” when the complex and the complicated magically made sense to me. Hopefully you’ve had a great teacher in your life too.

Here’s a few more thoughts on education.

Every kid needs a champion — Rita Pierson

A teacher saw me, not my problems – John Morello

What do teachers make – Taylor Mali

Because of a teacher

A few final thoughts:

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.” —Benjamin Franklin

 “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” —Chinese Proverb

“The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.” —Dan Rather

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” —William A. Ward

“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good teacher.” —Temple Grandin

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