Eavesdropping On A Plane
On my recent flight from Seattle to San Jose I sat next to a couple of high school students. They were talking about school and comparing notes on the classes and teachers they had in common. My ears perked up immediately when they started talking about their writing class. That’s when the laughter and stories started to spill out.
They both had obviously taken the same class at different times. Each one talked about how much they loved the teacher. I was delighted to hear that this teacher had the students not only writing, but also circling up to tell each other stories about their lives.
“We got real tight in that class,” was one of the comments made about the circle storytelling. Another comment about the teacher was, “She wrote on one of my papers that she loved my writing.” This was said with so much pride and delight that it was amazing.
So here’s what I took away from this conversation:
- Wow, the power of storytelling. This writing teacher planted a seed in these students about how important stories are to our lives.
- This wonderful teacher made her students feel enthusiastic about writing. I doubt they’ll become writers but I really think it sparked an appreciation of stories and writers, that might last a lifetime.
- Teachers are catalysts and lightening rods. They have an amazing ability to inspire their students.
I wish I could find this teacher and tell her how much she’s impacted her students. I hope somewhere in Western Washington she knows.
So, have you overheard any interesting conversations lately? Do you have a story about a teacher that impacted your life in a positive way? I’d love to hear your stories!
Photo Credit: Garry Knight
That is just so encouraging. Many years ago I used to teach English at high school and junior high level. I have seen what damage unimaginative teaching can do to the desire that young people have to write – I may even have contributed my share of despair to this particular pot.
It’s so encouraging to read about this wonderful teacher!
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Hi Barney,
Thanks for stopping by! It was amazing to hear the excitement in their voices when they talked about the teacher and class. I found it encouraging too. A teacher like that is worth their weight in gold.
Teachers like this are such a treasure. Why is it so hard to find money to pay them what they deserve, yet so easy to find money for some fighter jet boondoggle?
The teacher that had the most impact on me was the fifth grade teacher, Ms. Naughton at Lake Dallas Elementary in Texas. She inspired me to do what I felt I could not be successful at. I’ve written this before on someone else’s blog, and I think it is appropriate to share here as well. Ms. Naughton recognized my artistic talent before most did. When an annual art contest came around, she had me enter it. When I purposely left the painting at home, because I thought it was less than great, she drove me to my trailer home, had me crawl through the front window and retrieve the painting. She must have believed in me and my talent faithfully, because she had never seen it before then. I ended up winning Grand Prize in the competition and this experience with my fifth grade teacher launched my desire to explore my talents further.
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Bill,
Amen brother, I agree completely. Truly the good ones give you confidence and the belief that can be more than you thought you could be. . .without joining the army.
Screwed Up Texan aka Allie,
I’m sure you know what an awesome story that is. Thanks for sharing it. I love Ms. Naughton. She sounds like an amazing teacher and human being!
I know one such teacher in Western Washington. She taught my eldest at Kentridge High School in Kent, WA….Ms. West. I hope she is still teaching.
Lauren,
I’m so glad you dropped by the blog, thanks! Wouldn’t it be a small world if they were talking about Ms. West. In any case, this is a shout out to Ms. West!
I’m glad people are having such great experiences with teachers. Nothing sticks in my mind. I didn’t have creative writing in school, except poetry. My sister and friends are both former teachers. My sister works in the school as an occupational therapist and says she gets paid more than double what she did as a teacher. It’s sad that teacher’s skills are undervalued.
When we have a hold of the tail of our story, we have a hold of life itself. What intrigues me is how social media allows us to not only connect to each other but also to our unfolding stories…
Richard Reeve’s last blog post..What lurkes beneath the surface…
Edie,
I agree. Considering what an impact teachers can make, either negative or positive, I wish we paid them better!
Richard,
I thought of you when I wrote this post. I figured you’d appreciate the idea of high school students creating a story telling circle.
Mary, I hope you shared with the students that you are a published author. It’s so important that kids know that it’s possible to make their living in the arts. They so seldom meet any working authors, musicians, artists, etc that they are vulnerable to those counselors, parents and teachers who convince them to study something “practical” and they end up going into a field that isn’t their true calling. By introducing yourself to those kids as a “real life’ author, you may have inspired them to hold onto those dreams, maybe not writing but music, film, etc. They may be telling their fans someday that a chance meeting with a stranger on an airplane made the difference in their lives and was a catalyst in following their dreams. Keep “eaves dropping” and keep sharing. Thanks,
Terri
Terri Belford’s last blog post..My Most Cherished Gift
Terri,
So glad to have you drop by and share your perspective! Being any kind of working author, musician or artist isn’t easy. I think it can be a challenge monetarily. Yet, what artists create is so important to our society. I’ll keep eavesdropping and see what happens next!
My teenage daughter, a senior in high school, has had 2 different student teachers this year for her AP English class. The first, who taught in the fall, was quite good; the one this spring, not so much. For two previous years, she had another English teacher that was tough, but, in my opinion, was teaching her things she needed to know. After sitting in class with this not-so-good student teacher for a few weeks this spring, my daughter commented on how much she finally appreciates her previous English teacher! She just needed a bit of perspective to reach this conclusion. I told her she needs to stop this teacher in the hall one day and tell him that she finally “gets it.” Teachers don’t often get good feedback from students, only complaints.
Mr. Robinson. Sigh. He died (way too young) before I got published, but his faith in me is the well I dip into when I’m unsure of my next word.