For National Teacher Appreciation Week, and every other week of
year, here are ten reasons why I appreciate certain teachers I had. If you appreciate a teacher, let him or her know!
1. Mr. Thompson, my first-year Latin teacher.
He taught me to question! To use my brain and not allow myself to be spoon-fed. He told us verbs were conjugated one way on Monday, and then introduced other way on Tuesday, saying, "And now you're saying, 'My teacher has lied to me.' Well, they do!" It kept me on my toes, so to speak, and brought me into real world where rules don't always apply and tricky things can happen.
2. Dr. Drake, my third-year Latin teacher.
Taught me how much I respect someone who stands for something and enforces it. The students had been picking on a girl I'll call Clara. Dr. Drake sent her from class one day on an errand, and gave us a lecture about how people were going to be treated in her classroom. I can still see her pacing floor, making her point. Things changed for Clara after that ... and for me.
3. Mrs. English, my high school English teacher.
She cared enough to notice I was goofing off and called me on it, teaching me to respect myself. She refused to accept half-a**** paper I had turned in, saying it was nowhere near what I was capable of producing, and told me to do it over.
4. Dr. Harriet Sheridan, college professor who taught me Principles of Teaching.
Dr. Sheridan gave me a role model for how a woman can live a balanced life. At time, few women were working outside home. She had a Ph.D. and taught full-time at college, and also had 2 children. She invited us to her home often enough for me to see she was excellent at both.
5. Dr. Owen Jenkins, college English professor.
Taught me how to reason. And also that when you have self-confidence you can be warm and funny. Brilliant, he was also very funny. He taught senior Logic Seminar. No quarters!
