Can you think of a teacher you had who changed the direction of your life?
Most people have at least one in mind, and maybe others. What other profession can we consistently find examples of people who have that kind of influence?
Victor Kelly was my high school English teacher. He passed away several years ago, and I never got to tell him how instrumental he was in my writing journey.
I don’t remember a lot of specific things he said in class (which says something about me as a student, not him as a teacher). But I remember how passionate he was about the raw power of words.
Once, he shared two different descriptions of the same person, and asked how each one made us feel.
The first description way, “A teenage boy with blond hair.”
The second description was, “A sullen young man with greasy, yellow hair.”
I remember how dramatically different I felt about that boy, based on just a few words.
I was hooked. Mr. Kelly’s passion leaked onto me, and I “caught” it.
And I went on to become an author and built my career around communicating.
This morning, I ran across something Mr. Kelly wrote before he passed away. I’ve had it tucked away, but had forgotten it. It’s the musings of someone near the end of their life summarizing what he learned over the course of his career – and a “must-read” for teachers:
“To choose teaching as a profession in today’s cultural climate calls for far more courage, endurance and well-established skill sets than that which I faced over fifty years ago. But one thing remained constant:
Teaching is a profession in which one must be right the first time. There is little opportunity to “reset”, and, in my case, sadly, there are some who, throughout the remainder of their lives, will still carry the bitter fruit of my thoughtless actions, stupid mistakes and wounding words.
If I were to have the opportunity to start again at the beginning, I believe there are three things I should do differently.
I would encourage far more and correct far less.
I would be far more concerned with what a student will become and much less concerned with the anomalies evident in that process of becoming.
I would be far more concerned that compassion and kindness would drive my actions far more than cultural mores, expediency and urgency.
My encouragement to teachers?
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- Balance that which is urgent against that which is important.
- Guard against transforming personal preference into Biblical principles.
- Drive firmness and discipline with kindness and compassion.
- Fiercely protect personal integrity.
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In future years, few students will remember how to diagram a sentence. They will always remember the teacher who treated them with kindness and respect.”
Who was a teacher that made that difference for you?
Have you told them?
Take the time to reach out and let them know the impact they had on who you are today.
They changed your life; this is your chance to change theirs.
Thanks, Mr. Kelly . . . you made a difference.
And a whole bunch of your students are grateful!