In honor of graduation season, here’s a story about my favorite teacher:
My high school football coach was quite a terror on the field. He was very demanding and would frequently yell at his players and berate them. He was an excellent coach, but I always wondered what kind of teacher he would be without all of the pressure to win that falls on any coach.
During my junior year, I found out what kind of teacher he was off the field. When I walked into his history class, I met a completely different man. From day one my coach encouraged me to learn and gave me positive reinforcement as I did. He told me he believed in me and that I was intelligent enough to get my grades up and get a scholarship to play football in college. No teacher had ever taken an interest in me like this before, and I could count on one hand the number of teachers who had told me I was smart.
I earned good grades in his class, and his positive encouragement helped me get good grades in most of my other classes as well. He continued to check up on me even after I was no longer in his class.
It was an amazing contrast between the coach and the teacher. I am thankful I was able to see the difference, and benefit from the lessons taught by both of his personas. His influence off the field proved to be more important to me in the long haul, however. I’m not sure where I would be today if this teacher had not taken an interest in me as more than just a football player.
I’ve often thought about the powerful influences teachers can have on our lives. If you were lucky enough to have one like the one I described, don’t wait 30 years to thank them. Pick up the phone or send them an e-mail today.
I would like to give my sincerest thanks to the teacher and coach who changed my life, Marvin Garlick.
Have a great weekend,
Ro