When I was in grade 8 I was in a bad place (literally and emotionally) and I often would skip school, I hated everyone and everything and I was just hugely miserable all the time. My homeroom teacher left to go on maternity leave and her replacement was the only teacher I had in years where I felt like he actually saw me. When he sat me down and asked to see my drawings and read what I was writing he legit kept me from running away or doing something stupid. All it took was one teacher complimenting my stuff and encouraging me. Thanks for caring Mr. Hudson
When I was in high school I was a good student. I always was on the honor roll. My science teacher at a small hillbilly school, took an interest.
He knew my home life left MUCH to be desired. He taught all my science courses. He also knew my parents taking interest and money on a GIRL to go to medical school was not happening. I took several independent studies courses. He was kind and encouraging. I wish I could tell Mr Kinkead his efforts were not in vain. I didn't get to medical school but I became a nurse. I had help with a Shriners Scholarship. In the fall I will be 62 yrs old and I'm hoping to start my BA in Psychology. Mr Kinkead you matter.
That’s awesome! As the husband of a peds nurse, I know how tough any kind of nursing career can be! Mr. Kinkead helped make the world a better place by taking your science aspirations seriously when those closer to you didn’t. What’s prompting you to get a degree in psychology?
I have CPTSD and BPD. I want to be there for others like I can no longer do as a nurse. I like to feel as if I contribute to my community, at least a little.
I never had the teacher you’re looking for. But I had one of physics whose initials were FMA, like the famous formula F=MxA. Maybe after him my life became kaleidoscopic from to time, messing up things and words ones with the others. I don’t think he changed my life, but his favorite statement was you must know the why of things. Still I don’t know why my life eventually became kaleidoscopic from time to time 🥸
Yes, I don’t get really how far is the something. Also for a photographer FSA should be the reference (Farm Security Administration and those pioneers); perhaps with age Mass becomes Speed. See kaleidoscope?
My ninth grade teacher knew I wasn't challenged by the curriculum, so he kept feeding me literature books. Those books set me on the path to becoming a writer.
Coincidentally, my next Substack post is going to mention the teacher that made the biggest difference for me. She was Ms. Leslie Seabourne, my Grade 11 English teacher in 1975. She was notorious as a teacher because she virtually ignored the official curriculum and taught whatever she wanted, including a weekly unit of sex education. That was something else. At the time, I was a mostly indifferent student and pathologically shy. But she was the kind of teacher who demanded participation, and she would notice who was actively engaged and who needed encouragement. I’ll use the cliche because it was true. She was the first teacher I’d had that I felt could ‘see’ me. She called on me at just the right moments and made me feel I could raise my hand and speak freely. So I did. She cracked open my shell. From her, I learned almost nothing about English, a lot about 'sex' and other topics and, crucially, I learned how to really be in the world. I didn’t even know a teacher could change my life until she came along. Thanks for asking, Jason.
There must be something in the air! It’s interesting that so often it’s not a specific fact or lesson we are moved by, but the way a teacher like Ms. Leslie Seabourne makes us feel stays with us forever.
My favorite teacher was my AP European history professor who also taught my honors western civilization class. As part of his class, we had to write our first 20 page research paper. Everyone was dreading it. I decided to write my paper on codependence and dysfunctional family systems. I remember reading five or six books, trying to get insight into my dysfunctional family and why I felt so alone and displaced there. When Mr. Olson read my paper, he called me in after class and told me it was one of the best papers he had ever read and then shared his whole story about being married to an alcoholic for 30 years and the impact that it’s had on his life and his children. I felt so honored. It was as if my favorite teacher was speaking to me like a fellow colleague instead of a student. He really honored me by being vulnerable with me and engaging in my material as if I really had something to say. And of course – AP European history was my favorite class in high school. He was the most passionate teacher I’ve ever had!
I know I already commented, but I also have to mention my eighth grade English teacher, Mr.Byer. In middle school, we had a literary journal, that included a poetry contest and short story contest. Mr. Byer had assigned us Siddhartha by Herman Hess, as one of the readings in our class, and it had a huge impact on me. I wrote a very evocative paper on it and talked about how it had changed my life. Mr. Byer not only empowered me to start writing poetry and founded the magazine, where I won my first “literary honor”, and felt like I could write, but he also invited me to his Buddhist temple, and helped me start thinking about World religions. I had felt very betrayed by my Christian upbringing at the time, and he asked me questions about my spiritual beliefs, creating room for me to explore and opened a whole New World for me.
First, please comment as much as you like! Second, as I mentioned in a reply to someone else’s comment, I have a special place in my heart for anyone who encourages someone to become a poet. The world needs more poets! Lastly, I love how Mr. Beyer increased your academic, emotional, and spiritual capacity through his kindness and willingness to listen.
Ha! That’s amazing. Our vice-principal of discipline was Mr. Hammer and our vice-principal of student activities was Mr. Hand, but those are nowhere near as good as Richard Head!
When I was a freshman in high school, the first book we’ve read for English was Fahrenheit 451. One day, I went to my English teacher's office during office hours and showed him a quote I loved from the chapter we were on: “Don’t ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore.” He didn't say anything in return but motioned me to follow him down the hall. We ended up at the assistant principal's office (who was also an English teacher). My teacher told him that I wanted to share a quote. So, I read it out loud, trying to keep my voice steady. The assistant principal started clapping the moment I stopped reading the quote and said it was his favorite too, adding, “You’ll do great things one day.”
Those words and the quote have stuck with me ever since, inspiring me to become a writer, a poet, and most importantly, a good listener. I guess I have been very lucky to have those teachers on board in my life.
I’m always grateful for any teacher that somehow inspires anyone to be a poet. The world needs more of us! I love that your teacher not only listened to you, but that they knew their colleague well enough to understand they would be a great encouragement to you. And that’s also my favorite Fahrenheit 451 quote, and I didn’t manage to read that book until recently.
In 7th grade I was reading aloud my report - I could not tell you what it was about at all. It was in my History teacher’s class, so it must have been History.
I saw Mr. Vaughn the History teacher (and a great teacher) and Mrs Lofton….. who is one of my choices. They were whispering and I could see her with a tissue wiping her eyes. My Daddy had gone to the hospital the day before, but I knew he would be ok. He always was. He always came home.
To make sure I kept talking making things up on the subject as much as I could. Mr. Vaughn told me I should go with Mrs. Lofton to the office and to take my things.
Thst was when I KNEW. I refused to let her keep her arm across my shoulders, I refused to look at her. The office was not far and the door was open. I saw my Aunt standing there. All I remember hearing was - Honey I’m so sorry but your Daddy’s gone. I have been told that I screamed, that I kept yelling NO! But I have no memory of it. Or anything else that happened that day. As usual Mother was being consoled and her daughters? She did not ask or care.
Mrs. Lofton did. She cared for me the rest of that school year and the next. She did not embarrass me but would talk to me now and then as she knew how my heart hurt. She knew my world had ended. She kept my head on straight, even after our School burned to the ground about 6 months later. She was a teacher most kids did not like because she was strict. But I loved her from that fateful day until I moved away. I cried when I heard she had passed on.
I promise the second is not so heavy…. I had Creative writing in my Senior Year of high school. The teacher was the assistant Football Coach. Who knew he knew anything about being creative or writing!! I did several projects which I was proud of but I didn’t think anything of it. When I did an oral report on a story of a Vietnam War veteran. He required us to have music in the background as we gave the report.
I chose Bless the Beasts and the Children - this version by the Carpenters.
It was a little sad and I had no idea I would finish with tears rolling down my face. He stood up and cheered. I got an A+!in that class. He encouraged me to write. He said I was good enough. I believed him and wrote every day. Then ……
I met a guy. I will only say this guy ended up being my husband for 20 years. But it was rocky from the beginning.
I should have listened to Coach Jezick!!
Thank you as I have not thought of these 2 amazing teachers in a very long time.
My parents essentially abandoned my sister and me in Athens, boarding with a cousin near the American School in Athens, and I found myself wondering what kind of school would this place be? But my very first class that year was in Mr. King’s freshman English class.
Mr King had a handlebar mustache and the florid face and it looked as if the sunlight hurt his eyes. British accent, a little florid, he paced the class and told us he wanted us to leave the class readers and writers. So that every Friday we were to turn in a short story. And that’s what we did.
Can you tell I was falling asleep (after a teenagers birthday party)
When I wrote that note? Mr. King had another attribute that he would talk about from time to time: He’d gone drinking with Dylan Thomas. I knew if I hadn’t realized it already that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore!
There's a couple I could mention who helped spawn the writer in me, but I'll just mention the drama teacher who got me to sing all by myself on stage. For a quiet, introverted, book-loving fantasy nerd this was a big deal. I couldn't even carry a tune properly. I loved theater, but probably would have lived entirely behind the scenes if Mr. G. hadn't kept giving me opportunities to stretch right when I needed it the most. Even though I never aspired to a theater career, I gained confidence and self-awareness that has served me my whole life, and probably never would have emerged if I'd stay focused entirely on academics in high school.
It was during high school. I dealt with a failure where I didn’t get awarded for something my other classmates did due to falling short. It didn’t bother me at first until I saw the celebration, and I felt like I’d fail in life and wouldn’t be acknowledged for my skills.
My homeroom teacher saw this and told me to do something in the world. They also were there for me around the time I started doing poetry and presenting them. Other teachers told me to continue as my creativity is a blessing.
I had a few teachers who encouraged me to write but I can't seem to remember who they were. But I do remember one teacher in particular, who had lived across the street from me who often encouraged me! I had her for second and third grade! (She loved her second grade students so much, she taught us again the next year!) But I know there must have been other teachers who also encouraged me! I loved to read and write at an early age and my teachers knew it! I remember helping out in the summer, unpacking and stamping the school's new library books and sitting and reading them as I unpacked the boxes! My favorite books were Dr. Seuss! I loved rhymes! And short stories and fiction!
I move this! My theory is we all come into education ready to love poetry and it’s only through the grind of years of schooling that many people come to despise it
When I was in grade 8 I was in a bad place (literally and emotionally) and I often would skip school, I hated everyone and everything and I was just hugely miserable all the time. My homeroom teacher left to go on maternity leave and her replacement was the only teacher I had in years where I felt like he actually saw me. When he sat me down and asked to see my drawings and read what I was writing he legit kept me from running away or doing something stupid. All it took was one teacher complimenting my stuff and encouraging me. Thanks for caring Mr. Hudson
What a beautiful story, Lisa! It’s so easy to forget that we all have the power to be a Mr. Hudson in someone’s life. Thanks for sharing this!
What a great video, story and I knew Miss Taggart was a nice lady! Deep down! It's national teacher's day so this was very fitting too!
Thanks! I think I have a lot more to say about Miss Taggart in some form or another.
All ears! When you share the next story.
When I was in high school I was a good student. I always was on the honor roll. My science teacher at a small hillbilly school, took an interest.
He knew my home life left MUCH to be desired. He taught all my science courses. He also knew my parents taking interest and money on a GIRL to go to medical school was not happening. I took several independent studies courses. He was kind and encouraging. I wish I could tell Mr Kinkead his efforts were not in vain. I didn't get to medical school but I became a nurse. I had help with a Shriners Scholarship. In the fall I will be 62 yrs old and I'm hoping to start my BA in Psychology. Mr Kinkead you matter.
That’s awesome! As the husband of a peds nurse, I know how tough any kind of nursing career can be! Mr. Kinkead helped make the world a better place by taking your science aspirations seriously when those closer to you didn’t. What’s prompting you to get a degree in psychology?
I have CPTSD and BPD. I want to be there for others like I can no longer do as a nurse. I like to feel as if I contribute to my community, at least a little.
That’s fantastic!
I never had the teacher you’re looking for. But I had one of physics whose initials were FMA, like the famous formula F=MxA. Maybe after him my life became kaleidoscopic from to time, messing up things and words ones with the others. I don’t think he changed my life, but his favorite statement was you must know the why of things. Still I don’t know why my life eventually became kaleidoscopic from time to time 🥸
You still remember FMA all these years later, that’s certainly something!
Yes, I don’t get really how far is the something. Also for a photographer FSA should be the reference (Farm Security Administration and those pioneers); perhaps with age Mass becomes Speed. See kaleidoscope?
My ninth grade teacher knew I wasn't challenged by the curriculum, so he kept feeding me literature books. Those books set me on the path to becoming a writer.
That’s a great writer origin story!
Coincidentally, my next Substack post is going to mention the teacher that made the biggest difference for me. She was Ms. Leslie Seabourne, my Grade 11 English teacher in 1975. She was notorious as a teacher because she virtually ignored the official curriculum and taught whatever she wanted, including a weekly unit of sex education. That was something else. At the time, I was a mostly indifferent student and pathologically shy. But she was the kind of teacher who demanded participation, and she would notice who was actively engaged and who needed encouragement. I’ll use the cliche because it was true. She was the first teacher I’d had that I felt could ‘see’ me. She called on me at just the right moments and made me feel I could raise my hand and speak freely. So I did. She cracked open my shell. From her, I learned almost nothing about English, a lot about 'sex' and other topics and, crucially, I learned how to really be in the world. I didn’t even know a teacher could change my life until she came along. Thanks for asking, Jason.
There must be something in the air! It’s interesting that so often it’s not a specific fact or lesson we are moved by, but the way a teacher like Ms. Leslie Seabourne makes us feel stays with us forever.
My favorite teacher was my AP European history professor who also taught my honors western civilization class. As part of his class, we had to write our first 20 page research paper. Everyone was dreading it. I decided to write my paper on codependence and dysfunctional family systems. I remember reading five or six books, trying to get insight into my dysfunctional family and why I felt so alone and displaced there. When Mr. Olson read my paper, he called me in after class and told me it was one of the best papers he had ever read and then shared his whole story about being married to an alcoholic for 30 years and the impact that it’s had on his life and his children. I felt so honored. It was as if my favorite teacher was speaking to me like a fellow colleague instead of a student. He really honored me by being vulnerable with me and engaging in my material as if I really had something to say. And of course – AP European history was my favorite class in high school. He was the most passionate teacher I’ve ever had!
I love this! Mr. Olson sounds like an amazing teacher. I love that he took you seriously and shared a part of his story.
I know I already commented, but I also have to mention my eighth grade English teacher, Mr.Byer. In middle school, we had a literary journal, that included a poetry contest and short story contest. Mr. Byer had assigned us Siddhartha by Herman Hess, as one of the readings in our class, and it had a huge impact on me. I wrote a very evocative paper on it and talked about how it had changed my life. Mr. Byer not only empowered me to start writing poetry and founded the magazine, where I won my first “literary honor”, and felt like I could write, but he also invited me to his Buddhist temple, and helped me start thinking about World religions. I had felt very betrayed by my Christian upbringing at the time, and he asked me questions about my spiritual beliefs, creating room for me to explore and opened a whole New World for me.
First, please comment as much as you like! Second, as I mentioned in a reply to someone else’s comment, I have a special place in my heart for anyone who encourages someone to become a poet. The world needs more poets! Lastly, I love how Mr. Beyer increased your academic, emotional, and spiritual capacity through his kindness and willingness to listen.
Funny and I swear it's true! High school principal was Richard Head, or Dick Head as he was known amongst a bunch of crazy teens.
Ha! That’s amazing. Our vice-principal of discipline was Mr. Hammer and our vice-principal of student activities was Mr. Hand, but those are nowhere near as good as Richard Head!
😂😂😂
Yes, we were so clever haha
When I was a freshman in high school, the first book we’ve read for English was Fahrenheit 451. One day, I went to my English teacher's office during office hours and showed him a quote I loved from the chapter we were on: “Don’t ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore.” He didn't say anything in return but motioned me to follow him down the hall. We ended up at the assistant principal's office (who was also an English teacher). My teacher told him that I wanted to share a quote. So, I read it out loud, trying to keep my voice steady. The assistant principal started clapping the moment I stopped reading the quote and said it was his favorite too, adding, “You’ll do great things one day.”
Those words and the quote have stuck with me ever since, inspiring me to become a writer, a poet, and most importantly, a good listener. I guess I have been very lucky to have those teachers on board in my life.
I’m always grateful for any teacher that somehow inspires anyone to be a poet. The world needs more of us! I love that your teacher not only listened to you, but that they knew their colleague well enough to understand they would be a great encouragement to you. And that’s also my favorite Fahrenheit 451 quote, and I didn’t manage to read that book until recently.
Wow, now I know one more person who has the exact favorite Fahrenheit 451 quote!
I have 2- lucky me!
In 7th grade I was reading aloud my report - I could not tell you what it was about at all. It was in my History teacher’s class, so it must have been History.
I saw Mr. Vaughn the History teacher (and a great teacher) and Mrs Lofton….. who is one of my choices. They were whispering and I could see her with a tissue wiping her eyes. My Daddy had gone to the hospital the day before, but I knew he would be ok. He always was. He always came home.
To make sure I kept talking making things up on the subject as much as I could. Mr. Vaughn told me I should go with Mrs. Lofton to the office and to take my things.
Thst was when I KNEW. I refused to let her keep her arm across my shoulders, I refused to look at her. The office was not far and the door was open. I saw my Aunt standing there. All I remember hearing was - Honey I’m so sorry but your Daddy’s gone. I have been told that I screamed, that I kept yelling NO! But I have no memory of it. Or anything else that happened that day. As usual Mother was being consoled and her daughters? She did not ask or care.
Mrs. Lofton did. She cared for me the rest of that school year and the next. She did not embarrass me but would talk to me now and then as she knew how my heart hurt. She knew my world had ended. She kept my head on straight, even after our School burned to the ground about 6 months later. She was a teacher most kids did not like because she was strict. But I loved her from that fateful day until I moved away. I cried when I heard she had passed on.
I promise the second is not so heavy…. I had Creative writing in my Senior Year of high school. The teacher was the assistant Football Coach. Who knew he knew anything about being creative or writing!! I did several projects which I was proud of but I didn’t think anything of it. When I did an oral report on a story of a Vietnam War veteran. He required us to have music in the background as we gave the report.
I chose Bless the Beasts and the Children - this version by the Carpenters.
It was a little sad and I had no idea I would finish with tears rolling down my face. He stood up and cheered. I got an A+!in that class. He encouraged me to write. He said I was good enough. I believed him and wrote every day. Then ……
I met a guy. I will only say this guy ended up being my husband for 20 years. But it was rocky from the beginning.
I should have listened to Coach Jezick!!
Thank you as I have not thought of these 2 amazing teachers in a very long time.
Thank you for sharing both of those incredibly heartfelt stories. The best teachers help us feel seen
Indeed they do!
My parents essentially abandoned my sister and me in Athens, boarding with a cousin near the American School in Athens, and I found myself wondering what kind of school would this place be? But my very first class that year was in Mr. King’s freshman English class.
Mr King had a handlebar mustache and the florid face and it looked as if the sunlight hurt his eyes. British accent, a little florid, he paced the class and told us he wanted us to leave the class readers and writers. So that every Friday we were to turn in a short story. And that’s what we did.
That entire episode sounds like it’s own short story or even novel! Mr. King knew what he was about!
Can you tell I was falling asleep (after a teenagers birthday party)
When I wrote that note? Mr. King had another attribute that he would talk about from time to time: He’d gone drinking with Dylan Thomas. I knew if I hadn’t realized it already that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore!
That makes the story even better! (And I could not tell you were falling asleep while commenting. 🤣)
There's a couple I could mention who helped spawn the writer in me, but I'll just mention the drama teacher who got me to sing all by myself on stage. For a quiet, introverted, book-loving fantasy nerd this was a big deal. I couldn't even carry a tune properly. I loved theater, but probably would have lived entirely behind the scenes if Mr. G. hadn't kept giving me opportunities to stretch right when I needed it the most. Even though I never aspired to a theater career, I gained confidence and self-awareness that has served me my whole life, and probably never would have emerged if I'd stay focused entirely on academics in high school.
It was during high school. I dealt with a failure where I didn’t get awarded for something my other classmates did due to falling short. It didn’t bother me at first until I saw the celebration, and I felt like I’d fail in life and wouldn’t be acknowledged for my skills.
My homeroom teacher saw this and told me to do something in the world. They also were there for me around the time I started doing poetry and presenting them. Other teachers told me to continue as my creativity is a blessing.
I had a few teachers who encouraged me to write but I can't seem to remember who they were. But I do remember one teacher in particular, who had lived across the street from me who often encouraged me! I had her for second and third grade! (She loved her second grade students so much, she taught us again the next year!) But I know there must have been other teachers who also encouraged me! I loved to read and write at an early age and my teachers knew it! I remember helping out in the summer, unpacking and stamping the school's new library books and sitting and reading them as I unpacked the boxes! My favorite books were Dr. Seuss! I loved rhymes! And short stories and fiction!
I move this! My theory is we all come into education ready to love poetry and it’s only through the grind of years of schooling that many people come to despise it
I'm too lazy to rewrite it, but you can find my tale of Mrs. Hue on the second page, third column of this: https://viewer.joomag.com/art-chowder-september-october-2021-issue-no-35-issue-35/0197640001630338315/p58