A Sincere Thank-You
Today is World Teacher's Day. If you have never heard of this it is a UNESCO backed day to
"represent a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development."
We have all had teachers in our lives, some making more of an impact than others. I can think of three teachers that made a huge impact on my life.
Mrs. Chapko - Grade 1 is a scary time for any kid. Strange surrounding, strange kids, no parents around; it can all be very trying. My first grade teacher was soothing, caring and made the transition from days filled with cartoons and cereal to the classroom easy. She truly cared about the kids in the class and I will never forget that she stopped by my house when I was sick with Chicken Pox to give me a "get well" card. I walked by her house everyday for the 12 years I spent school and drove by for my years in post secondary education and she always had a wave and a smile.
Mr. Langendorfer - If you know me, you know that I can't speak much French beyond hell/good-bye. So why would my high school French teacher be on this list? Mr. L as I always referred him as (he was cool with that) went beyond what he was trying to teach me and was one of the people who I looked to for advice as I was about to graduate high school and head to university. The best advice he gave me was to take as many different classes as possible and never drop a class I didn't like. The experience learned in that class would always be worth sticking it out, even it there was no benefit to my future plans.
Mr. Zuk - When I was in high school I loved Biology and Mr. Zuk was a great Biology teacher. Now being a typical student, I also liked to chat with my friends, throw stuff at people and all the other "extra curricular" activities students partake in. Only problem was I used to partake in those activities during class. Mr. Zuk had a great way of dealing with the likes of me. All to often I'd get some extra work assigned to me, and quite often it was a 1000 word essay on some obscure biological topic (to this day I know too much about mycorrhizae). The great thing about it was the fact that he would always be there to offer advice on where and how to research. To this day I still am thankful for the things I learned due to all those extra assignments.
So to all the teachers that I have crossed paths with in my life I'd like to say a big thank you. Your patience, dedication and enthusiasm made an impact and I would not be where I am today without your help!