Tell us how a teacher has made a difference in your life
One of the requirements for the Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship application is submitting one or more paragraphs on how a teacher made a difference in your life (remember the application deadline is April 6, look here for more info).
Many people take the time to recognize teachers that made an impact on them. For example, here is an excerpt from a blog post by Bill Gates:
“When I first met Mrs. Caffiere, she was the elegant and engaging school librarian at Seattle’s View Ridge Elementary, and I was a timid fourth grader. I was desperately trying to go unnoticed, because I had some big deficits, like atrocious handwriting (experts now call it dysgraphia) and a comically messy desk. And I was trying to hide the fact that I liked to read—something that was cool for girls but not for boys.
Mrs. Caffiere took me under her wing and helped make it okay for me to be a messy, nerdy boy who was reading lots of books.
She pulled me out of my shell by sharing her love of books. She started by asking questions like, “What do you like to read?” and “What are you interested in?” Then she found me a lot of books—ones that were more complex and challenging than the Tom Swift Jr. science fiction books I was reading at the time. For example, she gave me great biographies she had read. Once I’d read them, she would make the time to discuss them with me. “Did you like it?” she would ask. “Why? What did you learn?” She genuinely listened to what I had to say. Through those book conversations in the library and in the classroom we became good friends.
Teachers generally don’t want to burden their students with extra reading beyond the homework they’ve assigned. But I learned from Mrs. Caffiere that my teachers had so much more knowledge to share. I just needed to ask. Up through high school and beyond, I would often ask my teachers about the books they liked, read those books when I had some free time, and offer my thoughts.
Looking back on it now, there’s no question that my time with Mrs. Caffiere helped spark my interest in libraries (Melinda’s and my first large-scale effort in philanthropy) and my focus on helping every child in America get the benefit of great teachers. I often trace the beginning of our foundation to an article about children in poor countries dying from diseases eliminated long ago in the U.S. But I should give some credit as well to the dedicated librarian and teacher who helped me find my strengths when I was nine years old. It’s remarkable how much power one good person can have in shaping the life of a child. ”
If I think about my own situation, there are many teachers that have had an impact. The one that stands out most for me growing up is Don Hartman, who was my sixth-grade teacher at Pioneer Elementary School. Mr. Hartman had a number of traditions that are forever etched in my mind.
The first being his reading books to the class. He could have had a career in audiobooks if he wanted to because I can still hear him reading passages from The Cay and The White Mountains in my head to this day.
There was also this green-light, red-light system that signified when you could talk to friends (we often played Hearts) and move about the class (green light) and when it was time for quiet and work (red light)
Another impactful thing was his love of technical things and mechanical drawings. Buiding and launching model rockets is something that he introduced me to, plus he would produce technical drawings on command of things like fighter jets and railroad locomotives (this, during green-light time) using pencil and paper. It was through this that I learned he liked to make model railroad locomotives, which resulted in having him create a replica of the one my grandfather (Mrs Neu's father) drove on his last run for the Western Pacific before he retired as a railroad engineer (see below).
Don Hartman's replica of my grandfather's last-run locomotive before he retired.
Finally, and in retrospect, the most impactful thing Mr. Hartman taught me was to strive for excellence. It was the stickers. He had this system of rewarding the quality of work on assignments with a hierarchy of stickers, which included things like state flags, but with the ultimate prize of receiving a president sticker. Those were very rare and extremely coveted. He may have given us grades, too, I don't remember, but I do remember striving for a president sticker and the feeling of accomplishment when finally receiving one. Doing well in school was a never topped after that, and I wish I still had one of those stickers to show for my effort, or, better still, I wish I had the opportunity to earn another one. Thanks, Mr. Hartman.
If you are not applying for the Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship this year, and you still want to tell us about a teacher who made a difference in your life, please do so in the comments below.