Miracle on Education Avenue

Last week, a miracle happened. No, nobody found the cure for cancer, Jesus didn't return, and Bush is still the President. Something else happened. I was student teaching at Lincoln Junior High School and a much welcomed ghost from my past reappeared. His name is Darrell Speer and he was a science teacher of mine back when I was in high school at Rocky Mountain. I hadn't spoken to him for a few years and lost contact with him when his email stopped working. I googled him, I looked him up in the phone book, and I even asked around, but no luck. I feared the worst of course, considering his age, but to my surprise, he's still around and still teaching (as a sub for PSD). He's a remarkable man and in a way, he saved my life. He took me in when no one else would, he saw the potential in me as a student, and he was willing to be my friend in life. It didn't matter if I didn't understand a lick of chemistry or an ounce of physics, he passed me anyway. He told me it didn't matter, the formulas were just formulas and the science was just science, even if I got it wrong. He told me the only thing that mattered was what I had in my heart. In today's world, teachers are grossly underpaid, and terribly unappreciated for as much impact as they have on tomorrow's world. Teachers are the most important role models a child will have as they grow into an adult. They shape children, they inspire children, they care for children, and unfortunately, they're mostly forgotten by the powers that be in our decadent society. If it weren't for teachers like Darrell Speer, the world would be a much darker place. Thank you Mr. Speer, and I hope every0ne who reads this will take a moment to remember some of their best teachers and just how much of an impact they had on their lives while they were growing up. When people ask me why I want to be a teacher, there's a variety of reasons, but if I could personify all of my reasons, they would best be described by Darrell Speer.