Teachers touch lives and are never aware of it. How often does one go to a teacher and express just how much influence they had on shaping the person that you have become? Not very often at all. We would like to commemorate some teachers that did change our perceptions of who we are and the world we live in. It is a shame that while we are being shaped into mature adults, we are not aware of the forces that are shaping us. The teachers mentioned in the excerpts that follow are great teachers, and are remembered as such.
Melissa's Story: Mr. Roemer was my fifth grade teacher in New York. Up until this point, I still felt like a child. Mr. Roemer, on the other hand, treated myself and others like adults. He shared "real" stories with us about "real" life. Stories about sports and politics, history and the present. I will always remember Mr. Roemer for his honesty, and the way he treated all of us as individuals. Most of all I will remember the respect he gave us, and each "real" experience.
Jennifer's Story: I remember sitting in an often dim, slightly damp, and strangely quiet English classroom during my 10th grade year. My teacher was Mr. Chandler, and it was in this classroom that I learned about the limitless possibilities entrenched in literature. In Mr. Chandler's classroom it was okay to write an essay of varying opinion as long as you could prove your argument. It was in this peculiar room that I learned the basics of writing a well-constructed academic essay. It was in this classroom that Romeo and Juliet came alive, that A Brave New World opened the doors to idealism, and that The Old Man and the Sea illustrated to me the beauty and strength of the written word. And it was in this classroom that my life was changed. I found that literature provided a wealth of knowledge and keen insight into other lives as well as my own.
Cristina's Story: Mr. Benjamin Pratt was my 10th and 12th grade English teacher. He gave me confidence in my writing ability. Before he was my teacher, I had never received praise for any writing that I had done. Starting from the first paper that I handed in to him, he raved about my work. He really made me feel good about myself and my ability to succeed. He was a great teacher and I really miss him. I wish that I had told him how much he meant to me; he was a very special man.
-- Cristina Sierra,Melissa Stiehler, and Jennifer Sherman, Florida Atlantic University