My Mount Teachmore

The post that inspired this one:  http://dmartin618.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/mount-teachmore/

Mount Teachmore

I think it’s only fitting that my tenth summer blog be about teachers who inspired me along the way, so when I saw Deb's blog on Mount Teachmore, I was intrigued.

Who would be on my Mount Teachmore?

There are many.  Would it be Mrs. Sheets (home ec – middle school – who taught me to sew, cook, and had the lovely job of teaching middle school hygiene), a passionate educator who really loved her students?  Mr. Henderson (speech – middle school) who taught drama and recognized a performer in the wrapped up in the inner turmoil of my awkward shyness?  Mrs. Albers (4^th grade) who was strict, but taught incredible organizational skills?  Mrs. Parmley (3^rd grade) who read the most wonderful stories after lunch? I can still hear her today read Shel Silverstein’s poem about a peanut butter sandwich.  Mr. Poort who inspired a love of learning about biology; I was amazed that I loved dissecting frogs, fish, and pigs to learn more about how humans work. Stories and memories have swirled through my head as I tried to figure out the four most influential.

Funny how they’re all English teachers.

I think I drove my math teachers crazy.

But the men who are carved into Mount Rushmore are the men who were significant in building the character of the nation.  The teachers I mention were significant in helping to mold the character of me and who I am today.  Their impact gave me the desire to believe in myself, stretch to reach goals, add to the human race, and be more.  Their gifts humble me.

The first face I would carve is Mr. Doug Goheen (Sophomore English, Theater 1, and TWHS Players).  Entering his class I was an awkward, unsure, somewhat shy mess. I had a desire to perform, and a creative streak that was hidden by my insecurity.  I loved stories. I loved writing. I loved acting.  These things gave me the opportunity to be someone I wasn’t.  I needed a lot of refining in all of those areas, and he gave me the opportunity to do so. He challenged me, frustrated me, encouraged me and allowed me to learn through failure and embracing hard work.  Sound familiar?  Good teaching practices are good teaching practices.  Period.  Thank you, Mr. Goheen.

My next face would be Mrs. Ann McDonald (Junior English, Creative Writing). Mrs. McDonald was my spark.  It was in her class that I learned about the power of journaling.  She helped me find my voice.  I remember my surprise when she thought something I wrote was really good – good enough to publish.  I still have that assignment.  It was a dialogue of my right brain and left brain discussing a swim meet.  The power of showing someone you believe in her and what she creates is life altering.  Mrs. McDonald extended grace and taught me that writing is a process where only the writer will truly know when the piece is done.  She fed my creative soul.  Thank you, Mrs. McDonald.

Mr. Duane Shufleberger (Journalism 1, Photography, Newspaper) is the third carving.   His was the gift of critical thinking.  What was the motivation behind this news article?  How do you listen to the stories of others? How do you find the truth?  I still remember his weekly news quizzes.  Sigh, what I lacked in knowledge, I usually made up for in creativity.  Under his leadership, we had an amazing paper. Through a lot of trust on his part, he allowed us to tackle controversial topics, and he encouraged us to always push the bar in a professional manner.  He taught me a lot about being professional, handling responsibility, and integrity in writing.  Thank you, Shuf.  (He is also the root of my high school nickname --  Aimless, but that is a story for another time.)

Finally I put my last hero on the mount,  Mrs. Marge Bakalar (Humanities, APE).  After all of these years, it’s hard to think of all she did for me without a lump in my throat.  She really saw each child in the room.  She loved them, and believe me, she challenged them.  I’ve never worked harder in my life – not even in college.  She gave me passion.  Passion to know more, be more, work harder.  She knew exactly when to push to take you to the next level in learning.  I learned through her exactly how much I didn’t know, but she laid the foundation to help me find my way.  Thank you, Mrs. Bakalar, the world misses you.

Seeing the potential, embracing creativity, challenging critical thinking, passion, these are the true gifts that an educator can give a child.  These are the gifts that help frame who I am today.

I thank all of the people who walked with me as a child.  I can only hope that I’ll mean the same to my students – that they can see the beauty of the future I see when I look in their eyes.

Mount Teachmore.  It's a beautiful thought.