Teacher Influence

I was thinking yesterday about the teachers that I have had in school, and the influence that they had on my life. I suppose everyone has had good teachers. They may have known their subjects, but they were also good people. I have had several teachers from elementary school through graduate school who were really very good. To teach is a very noble profession, and there is also a lot of responsibility. After all, they are molding the lives of their students. I have heard that school today is much different. The teachers can't discipline their students like they could, when I was a student. So, some students take advantage of that and run around like crazy. I had once wanted to be a teacher. I don't think I would do it now. I am not good at disciplining children, and I care too much about the subject I would teach. So, I wanted to write a little about some of my teachers. In my elementary years, all of my teachers stood out for one reason or another, but one especially was Mrs. Kirk. She was a short, older woman. And tough. Her big thing was memorizing poetry. Each one of us had to memorize a classic poem once every 6 weeks. If we messed up, there would be trouble. The stress was incredible, but you got through it. In junior high, there was Mrs. Brown. She taught music. I remember that she was short with brown curly hair. She was tough, too. She also encouraged us to be better. In high school, there was Mrs. Lupold who was my debate coach. She really cared about the success of her students in speech tournaments. There was also Mrs. Green who exposed me to writing and drama. Later at Anderson College, there was Mr. Vivian. He taught speech and drama and believed that I had talent. I appreciate him for that. At Presbyterian College, there was Skelly Warren. He was only there a year, but he taught me a lot about concentration in acting. The character was the most important issue as an actor. At Southwestern, there was Paula Brooks who taught Communications. She helped develop my talents and cared for me as a person. I have a lot of respect for my teachers. Some have passed on. I went to Mr. Vivian's grave yesterday and got a little teary. I realized that I would not have done much in drama without his influence. I was supposed to major in English, but he encouraged me to follow my real talent. He changed my life. He was a little quirky, but so was I. Thanks, Mr. Vivian. You were quite unique. And, a shout out to Mrs. Lanier, Miss Barrett, Mrs. Southern, Mrs. McCuen, and Mrs. Ellsworth for being my other elementary school teachers. That was a good time. Thanks to all.