It's been a long time since my last post. Alot has happened to me in both my personal and professional life. Some really good, some really bad. That's what life's about, I guess. I'm currently in a very pensive mood, so please forgive me if this gets too sappy, cheezy, or just whatever.
It's Christmas day, and I'm sitting around with family. I've had alot of time to think over the last several days, and being that it is the season of giving, I have thought about some of the greatest gifts that I've ever received. I realized that the greatest gifts I've received were not given at Christmas, and were not even given by family. They were given by two teachers in particular. I don't use the term "teacher" loosely here, because both of these people were the consumate teachers. What they gave to me extended well beyond the classroom. I know that what I was given has lasted the years and will be the gift that keeps on giving. I only hope for them that I was not the only person that received their gift. Of all the "teachers" I've had in my 20 years of schooling, very few cared enough to actually teach. For those teachers out there that may fit into that category, I hope you re-think the approach to your job and realize that those students in your class look up to you for the answers, and it is your job to give it to them.
In high school, I had Mr. Uecker for Calculus class. He passed away a few years after I graduated, and I have an article that a fellow teacher wrote about him that I keep with me and read occasionally. Mr. Uecker taught high school math. I'm sure he could have done a multitude of other jobs, but this is what he chose to do, and I must say, he did it with fervor; no holds barred. He came in every day and wanted to teach; but he didn't only teach...he expected you to learn. He cared. High school calculus was not a class for losers or soon-to-be drop-outs and he knew that each one in the class had extreme potential. He would not settle for a half-ass effort, never. He pushed and pushed, and expected you to push back and challenge him to teach more. The more he taught, the more I wanted to learn. I always felt that he was teaching only to me. He stood in class and wanted to make sure I understood everything before moving on. I look back and realize that it wasn't only me - it was every single student in his class. He had high expectations and held everyone to them. I have an authority complex that when I get teachers like this, I fight back and refuse to learn...I'm stubborn that way. However, Mr. Uecker saw this and it seemed to me that he structured everything he said to me on knowing this. As it turned out, the harder he pushed, the more I learned. I will forever thank him for making me feel like I was the only one in the class. I thank him for never letting me refuse to learn. I thank him for caring. To me, Mr. Uecker was not one to want the spotlight; he came to school to do the one thing he enjoyed - he taught. It was more than numbers and formulas.
I had a similar experience in law school with Prof. Hopkins. It was my very first law school class and I got on his "why are they here wasting my time" list. I was a complete smart-ass. He was my writing professor. I'm an engineer, so I automatically suck at writing; my communication has always been done in numbers. But as I started writing and turning in papers, Prof. Hopkins must have seen something. Maybe he wanted to prove to me that I wasn't a literary delinquent, or maybe he saw me as his biggest challenge ever. Either way, he never gave up on me. Every paper I got back had more writing, notes, criticisms, praise, red marks, you name it, more than what I had written...but I still got an A. I occasionally looked at the papers of students around me and only saw a couple of marks and a B. Each paper I turned in came back the exact same way, but as time went on, I expected his comments and criticisms. I soon saw that he was there to teach me...the unteachable smart-ass! He did a great job. Although I will never be a great writer, he taught me more in the 4 months I had him as a teacher than I had learned in the previous 17 years. He didn't let me slack off; and he would even point that out in my papers. I think he knew my potential and expected even more than that from me. I looked at him and saw something that I very rarely ever saw in a teacher...someone who cared. I tried harder in that one class than probably all other classes for all three years of law school combined. I didn't want to let him down. He took his time and effort to teach, and I wanted to repay the favor and learn. He never gave up on me, and for that I will be eternally grateful. I sometimes wish I could walk into his office and tell him how great of a job he did, even if I was the only one (which I seriously doubt), but I don't think he would listen. I imagine he would say "Thanks, but I've got more teaching to do." I don't think he is much for acclaim and awards, so this is my way of letting him know that I appreciate all that he did for me. He made me want to improve my writing, and every time I write anything at work I think of how he would edit it and try to duplicate his efforts. I am hard on myself when I write, because I expect the same level of perfection that Prof. Hopkins expected. He knew I could get better, and I'm still trying. Thanks for teaching me what it takes.
Both of these teachers go to work every day, and I suspect that neither of them consider what they do to be work...I think that they enjoy it so much that this is what they feel destined to do. They don't expect the thanks from students, and probably rarely ever get it. To me, both of these people have meant so much in my life that I don't know how else to describe them other than heroes. I can only hope that one day I will be able to help someone in the same situation I was in when both of these teachers walked in the door, looked at me, and actually wanted to help me learn. These are two people I look up to and strive to emulate. Even though you both do a thankless job, I want to personally say thanks for everything.
