MAKING IT WORK : They Gave Students a Gift--the Whole World
N o matter how many years go by, memories of special teachers remain vivid because their gifts to students are the kind that last forever. In letters to The Times, a number of Orange County residents talked about the most important teachers in their lives. Following are some of their reflections.
Mildred Morgan, 70, of Los Alamitos, on an eighth-grade teacher in Chicago: “Mrs. Hutchinson was what I call a ‘no-nonsense’ teacher, and believe me, the students learned. She was very austere and frugal with her compliments. In her own way, she transmitted love and concern for her class, and this produced a strong desire to learn all that she taught. It was directly due to her that I passed on to my children and grandchildren the importance of an education.”
The Rev. Mark W. Shier, 46, rector of the Episcopal Church of Saint Andrew in Fullerton: “In the seventh grade, our teacher spent the whole year in English period drilling us in the parts of speech, mostly endlessly diagramming sentences. . . . Yes it was boring and, yes, I hated it, but that drill taught me the structure and basics of the English language. This knowledge opened up the means of communication to me and, through communication, the whole world.
“In the ninth grade, my home-room teacher was also my social studies teacher. She was a Southern lady of the old school and of genuine dignity who communicated her values to us as well as a body of knowledge. She seemed old-fashioned to me at the time and yet I respected her enormously. She, like the seventh-grade teacher, showed me a universe beyond my narrow horizons and instilled in me the confidence that I had a place of honor in that world and a contribution to make.”
Robin Baerg, 23, of Fullerton, on a college English professor in Panama: “Mr. Baca’s love for the English language was evident in the way he taught his classes. He read passages with fascination, as if for the first time enjoying the stories and their deeper meanings, when he’d been reading the same tales for years to students before us. This passion for English gave me an incentive to learn. He encouraged me to pursue my interest in writing--to analyze with words my impressions of the world I live in, ethics, people and especially myself.”
Delores Hagen, 56, of Fullerton, on a high school English teacher in New Mexico: “She had an innate ability to discover any special talent a student might have and sharpen the skills that highlighted that talent. The key to her specialness was her ability to view a skill as a springboard to endless possibilities.”