Hendersonville Standard
HENDERSONVILLE WEATHER

The lasting impact of teachers




Steen

Steen

“I touch the future. I teach.” – Christa McAuliffe

As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a teacher. I loved helping and nurturing, and I probably loved thinking that people would have to listen to me talk. It took me several years to finish college and get my teaching certificate.

In the end, I remained a stay-at-home mom who volunteered in the classroom anytime they would have me. I definitely used my degree, and all I had learned, but not in the traditional teaching role.

Sitting with a student as they sounded out the letters of the words in the book was exciting to me, and seeing their joy at figuring out a solution was a prize for this adult, as much as it might have been for the students.

Teaching is something people go to school to learn to do, but being a meaningful part of students’ lives — that’s born in the individual. Coming across McAuliffe’s quote, I felt chills. She taught, and she touched the future. That is what teachers do.

Teachers have been in the news a lot lately, especially in my state. I’ve felt such frustration at the lack of respect they receive, and it’s caused me to think back on the teachers who affected my life and how different I might be if not for their presence.

Coming across Christa McAuliffe’s story, I remembered when she became the first teacher to train to be an astronaut. Things were not unlike they are today as far as how teachers were being treated.

Her backup, and eventual substitute in space Barbara Morgan, said this: “Christa reminded everybody, at a time when education was being lambasted, that our country is full of good teachers who are working really hard in the classroom to do the best they can to help our young people have a bright future.”

I wonder who is reminding everyone today. I asked friends to share their favorite teachers and what made them special.

• My Graphic Arts teacher in high school, he let me learn at my own pace, design what I wanted.

• My US Government teacher. Was he a hard teacher? Yes! Did he care for and want the best for his students? Yes! It’s because of him that today I am able to really understand the issues and use my voice confidently.

• My Guidance Counselor. She is the only reason I went to college. I’m the first person in my whole family who even graduated from high school, so I never even thought of going to college. She had more faith in me than I had in myself. I’ll never forget her and what she did for me. I am where I am today because of her.

• My Art teacher. She brought creativity and confidence to an exceptionally devastating high school year (for me and the entire class). She saw a spark and was never hesitant to encourage it, which led to a lifetime of adventures.

• My Fifth-Grade teacher. She was able to fill me with confidence. She told me one time that I was a good public speaker and that I would have a great future. Before I speak in public, I like to think back to 5th grade and her telling me that.

• My Elementary teachers, all of them. I say this because they each invested in me in different ways.

• My History teacher. She taught history and made it come alive. Looking back, I have so much admiration for her as a Black woman teaching American history in a mostly white school in the 1970s.

• My College professor. He made everyone feel seen and heard, and in turn, made me believe in myself.

I hope reading about the impact these favorite teachers made on their students, who are all now adults (or at least over 21), causes you to take a moment to think of your favorite teacher or teachers and the difference they have made in your life.

Why write an article like this? Because teachers are on the short end of the appreciation stick when it comes to respect from the government, the public, and many parents and students. But almost every one of us has had at least one teacher who changed the world for us, who cared, who made a difference in our lives because they wanted us to know we mattered.

I also write this because I am concerned for the profession I love, the men and women who have sacrificed weekends and evenings and any extra cash, and for the children who deserve teachers who really care. The lack of understanding society seems to have developed lately more than ever before has left me feeling afraid for all of them and for our future.

As I sat down to write today, a friend shared it devastated her to learn a former student had died. He had wished her to be his mother when she taught him in third grade, he had called her when he was serving in Iraq, and he had reached out to her most recently in hopes of getting a job recommendation from her when he was no longer staying in the VA hospital, dealing with PTSD.

She had made a difference in his life from the time he was in the third grade until the day he died. She has been an excellent teacher and touched the future, every single day.

Last August (2021), 37% of educators were considering leaving the teaching profession. Just six months later in February (2022), that number jumped to 55%.

We, the public, all of whom have been students aware of great teachers and rotten teachers need to speak up, to stand for the men and women who have stood in front of our classrooms, sat beside us as we cried, pretended they loved the umpteenth ‘I Love a Teacher’ mug or ornament, and challenged us to be the best people we could be as we left their classrooms.

I am grateful for Mrs. Welch, Coach Rickman, Mrs. Huddleston, Mr. Covington, and especially Mrs. Dixon, all adults who believed in me when I was in kindergarten, as a senior in high school, and the years in between.

As an adult, I have discovered I do not always agree with the opinions of those who taught me, but what I learned from them was how to think for myself and not rely on the ignorance or wisdom of others.

May we each take the time to do more than think fondly of our own teachers — let’s take action to ensure the students of today and tomorrow will have teachers whose desire is to touch the future and reward the teachers properly.

One small way of showing support is to see if a teacher has a wish list of items they need for the classroom this fall, and purchase an item or two. After that, write a letter to your legislator to say excellent teachers deserve an excellent system, and to a teacher to simply say Thanks.

Susan Black Steen is a writer and photographer, a native Tennessean and a graduate of Austin Peay State University. With a firm belief that words matter, she writes and speaks to bring joy, comfort and understanding into each life. Always, she writes from her heart in hopes of speaking to the hearts of others. She can be reached at stories@susanbsteen.com.

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