March 17, 2004

teachers

my philosophy teacher recently wrote this in her blog:

"Sigh. Last day of classes. Always a little sad, especially because I, unlike many other instructors, have my students for an entire year rather than just a sem. It's kinda weird having seen them twice a week every week for one entire year, and then suddenly realizing that I will probably never see many of them ever again (except maybe for a quick nod in the corridor). The year always ends a little too abruptly."

i was touched by this because, primarily, i recognized the truth of it all. the end did seem abrupt. my last philosophy class awhile ago did not have the finality or closure i wanted it to have. it seemed strange that during the entire length of the period, i wanted to do something that would convince me that it was all over, that it was all done. i then realized what i really wanted to do: i wanted to thank her for a year well-spent, for patiently teaching us this pleasantly mindboggling subject, for bearing through our uncomfortable silences, our distracting noises, and our short attention spans. in short, i wanted to let her feel my appreciation for what she has done for us. unfortunately, a small group of people approached her after class, and i didn't really want to say "thank you" in front of others. i then left the room, carrying with me the weighing certainty that i have failed to do what i should have done.

of course, i do not always feel this way about each and every teacher who comes walking inside the classroom. there are the bad teachers, and i never want to do anything with these people again; there are the good teachers, but somehow failed to engage me; and there are the superb teachers, who, in their own way, managed to capture my mind and my heart. these are the teachers who recognized my potential and relentlessly tried to bring it out. these are the teachers who did their jobs well because they knew that they would have an impact on me. these are the teachers who took me seriously. these teachers have strengthened my faith in the belief that, indeed, teaching is the noblest profession of all. my philosophy teacher, my college english teacher, my statistics teacher, my calculus teacher, my 3rd year and 4th year high school math teachers all fall under this category. i cannot anymore elaborate on the impact they had on my life, but let it suffice to say that whatever things they taught me will remain with me forever.

to all these teachers, i want to say "THANK YOU." you have made all the difference.

posted by kerwin ray :: 12:05 AM :: ""