Indebted To Our Teachers

When more than 30 of my high school classmates gathered for a reunion dinner in the weekend to celebrate the school's 105th Anniversary, there was a lot of catching up to do.  Spirited conversations filled the dinner as party-goers traded details on everything from careers, on to travel tips, then to their kids and husbands.

Here and there, talk sometimes turned to another interesting subject as well: appreciation and affection for our teachers.  One friend recalled fondly her favourite headmistress.  Another expressed admiration of a Chinese History teacher.   And the funny thing was - we actually met some of them in dinner, they haven't seem to have aged a single year!  I wondered if they have been swallowing preservatives along with their textbooks or something!  

I thought to myself - if only teachers could hear these tributes to their lasting influence on students' lives, that would be marvellous wouldn't it?   Exactly.  Why on earth not.

I took the opportunity, ran over to one of my favourite history teachers, and very simply - I told her I thought of her when I was touring Egypt.  I recalled all the intriguing stories she told us about the ancient Egyptian civilization, the mystic fictions linking the Pharaohs, Cleopatra and Tutankhamun.

Retiring next year she is - after decades of teaching, still absolutely enthusiastic about her subject of expertise and as you can imagine, she is so thrilled to hear that after 20 odd years, some mumble jumble out there still remembers the tales she told!

Yes.  I have always liked History.  I come to appreciate we can't possibly live today without carrying a bit of history of anything.

At a time when many educators think they are more likely to be criticised than commended, a word of praise can make all the difference and this same mumble jumble has learned a thing or two nonetheless all these years - to thank her teachers for their job well done.  

What about you?  Have you thanked a teacher recently?