I have had a lot of great teachers and mentors in my short 28 years on this planet. Some great, some not so great. I used to be able to be able to name EVER SINGLE TEACHER I ever had. From pre-school through high school graduation...and my "A" school instructors. Maybe it is coming with age, but I cannot remember all of their names anymore...from seventh grade to my senior year I would have to look at my yearbooks to pick out my teachers.
There are a few that really STAND OUT as THE BEST!
Mr. Santos...he was my sixth grade teacher. Up until the day I set foot in his classroom, I was way behind in my reading level. To be honest, I still keep my phone handy with the Dictionary.com app pulled up whenever I am reading for school work...and I use the "Look Up" feature frequently on my Nook when I come across words I do not know...and I am a VERY slow reader. I was also way behind in my math comprehension. I do not know how he did it but he made something click inside my head and my math grades became better than ever!
Towards the end of the year, we had that aptitude test that was going to help place us in the correct math class when we started middle school the following year. Not long after the testing was over, Mr. Santos called my house one night. I answered the phone and instantly thought I had done something wrong when he asked to speak to my parents. I was a nervous wreck the entire time they were on the phone. I sat in my room trying to figure out what horrible thing I had done at school that would warrant a call from my teacher.
My parents called me out into the living room and told me to have a seat on the couch. Trying to figure out what I had to apologize for, my folks told me that they had a good talk with my teacher. He told my parents that I scored the HIGHEST out of all the kids that took the test at our school...and that I got the THIRD HIGHEST score in the history of the school! I think I had some lucky guesses. They were so proud of me. Because I scored so high, I had to take an Algebra aptitude test...which I bombed of course because I did not really know that much.
I have never forgotten how inspirational he was to me. I went on to take math classes up to Trig...which I did not understand at all but somehow managed to pass...barely. Now that does not really have much of anything to do with how I got to where I am today. There really is not much that math that I have to do when fueling airplanes...and any math I do have to do...I do with a calculator!
I had a ton of great mentors that I intend to give the perfect amount of praise to but they will each get their own post! This is the first man to really make a difference in my life but NOT the last! Who made a profound influence in your life? What it a teacher? A friend? A family member? A co-worker? A stranger? Please share with me! I would love to hear about your experiences!
Until next time!
Mentors can make such a difference to our lives but I believe that we often forget to reflect back on those individuals who have had the greatest impact on us. Your post is very inspiring. All the best with the UBC! Shannon
ReplyDeleteHaving served in the military, I did have a few mentors that really taught me a lot and I did have one that I actually cried a little when he transferred. I had many friends come and go over the years and no one made me cry like he did! I am still in contact with him today and hope to one day see him and his family again.
DeleteI've definitely had influential teachers in my life as well as youth ministers and mere people in my church. As a former youth minister and a present teacher I can only hope I make a positive impact on those whom I teach.
ReplyDeleteSome of the fondest memories that I have of my teachers were how much they pushed our creativity! I remember my fourth grade teacher allowing us to plan our class parties...for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc...well when we found out that our teacher was planning to move back to Florida, we all got together and planned a going away party for her...got a teacher to keep her out of the room during a recess...got our parents to help with decorations and snacks and she was so moved she cried!
DeleteThis was an awesome post! I spend a lot of time reading these and yours was so different, so refreshing! Keep writing! Now for your question: I am 59 years old and remember every single teacher I ever had, Kindergarten through college. I even remember what they looked like. (Could be after college I went back and taught with them for 35 years. LOL) My fourth grade teacher made me decide I was going to grow up and teach fourth grade in our school just like her. The day after I graduated college, I was teaching right across the hall from her! Thanks for making me remember this memory!
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing and so wonderful! It is always an honor to work with someone who has had such a great influence in your life! It was my friends coming to me, looking for advice for their issues that made me joke about charging them by the minute as they always came during the passing time between classes...and now I am going to school for Psychology...you never know who will have an impact!
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