things I think on...

Last week all of my teacher friends in VA went back to school. They are knee-deep in school system bureaucracy and are already counting down the days until Summer 2012. I sympathize with them and hope that their year goes quickly, smoothly and without parental incident. 

This time of year makes me nostalgic and reminds me from whence I've come. I’m a product of the public school system and I still believe that education is one of the basic rights that we have as Americans. We have so often politicized and confused the blessing of knowledge with the right to learn. I think we lose sight of the concept that knowledge and ambition is what sets us apart from our peers – both inside the confines of the United States and worldwide. Our children should feel PROUD of their ability to receive a free education, even if the school they are to attend is less than stellar. I’d prefer that we have a country where all our schools are calibrated equally but it just isn’t realistic based on our current social and political structure. That being said, every child has the availability to some level of learning. Even the worst school systems function at a level that facilitates a modicum of knowledge.

But this is neither a political or philosophical conversation regarding public education. It’s actually a referendum on my own experience – and more importantly, the educators that shaped it. I’m attending my 20 year high school reunion in a few weeks and although I still can’t quite believe that I’ve come that far, it’s more amazing to me that the two educators who singlehandedly prepared me for life are STILL at the blackboard. I was in an interesting position during high school specifically, as my mother was a teacher at the school I attended. This was both a blessing and a curse on most days. I saw both sides of the preferential treatment coin during those 4 years of emotional pubescent hell. I was privy to information about the teachers who were her friends and I, at times, got out of trouble because of who I was. In the same vein, I was held to a higher standard of participation and behavior because my mother was an educator in the same school. Quite frankly, I didn’t have much of an issue with either and when I look back at things, I really made out okay.

With all honesty, I wouldn’t have an ounce of the confidence or poise that I do without two very specific persons. The first was my 9^th and 10^th grade art teacher and the other was my Speech coach. Funny enough, they were friends with each other and still continue to banter on Facebook as I watch in amusement.

Ms. A., my art teacher, was the driving force behind my career in the arts. I’ve often wondered where I would be in my professional career if it weren’t for the positive reinforcement that I received in her classroom. She had a way of guiding my artistic hand in a way that led to creative insight I didn’t know possible and she was the kind of teacher who wasn’t happy unless she made you laugh (at yourself or at her) at least once a day.

Although she only “classroom” taught me for two of my four years, she was my mentor throughout it all. I ended up attending her alma mater for my undergraduate degree and I know that my choice was a direct result of my admiration for her. There’s just something to be said for a person who builds you up and never once attempts to shorten the pedestal. She was that person for me.

Mr. P. was a different story. He was is full of piss and vinegar and created an atmosphere that forced you to improve because you knew that you could, not just because he told you that you needed to. My experience on the speech team in high school was the defining involvement of my time in high school. My closest friends were on the team and we traveled together 20 times a year. Our meets were as close as one hour and as far away as 9 – all by mini-bus or car caravan. On a rare occasion (once or twice a year), several of us were lucky enough to qualify for a National tournament, which actually landed us on an airplane. My first trip to an airport (on the departure side of security) was because of my success through this team. I was fourteen years old.

The thing about public speaking is this: the skill sets that are derived from participation in this type of activity are unmatched. There’s a confidence, poise and fearlessness that is established as soon as you get over the fact that people are really paying attention to what you are saying. Mr. P. was the type of coach that encouraged as much as he berated. But he also was one of my favorite people to be around and he had the quickest sense of humor of anyone I had met to that point. Much of my quick, reactive tongue, I have to think, was a result of spending 9 months a year with this man. I am still amazed by the things I learned from him and I’m thankful that I had the wherewithal to listen to him more than I poo-poo’d his feedback. I’m a confident businesswoman because I’m not afraid to talk. That fear was squelched because Mr. P. gave me no other option.

To say I’m grateful for these two humans is the understatement of my life. I hope that I’ve shown my appreciation enough over the last twenty years, but just in case…they’ll see this undoubtedly.

What does this have to do with my overly biased blog? Nothing really – other than being grateful that 20 years worth of students have been lucky enough to experience what I did with these two individuals. I pray those students paid attention.