Thank a Teacher

[bornhere63]

Teachers who made me who I am
To the editor:


To my teachers past, present, and future: Thank You. I owe you a debt like no other. You grew me even when I did not believe I could grow. Thank You.

Mme. Steciw - You were brilliant and you changed lives. I think most fondly of you of all my teachers. Your wit, passion, and dedication to precision shaped my outlook on life.

Mrs. Thompson, you were so kind. You taught me 40 colours before I was five, using those beautiful wooden ingots.... who knew colour would become such a large part of who I became? You did.

Ms. Thurlow, I don't know how you did it - but you made an average room full of grade ones into a group of ongoing high performers.

Mrs. Surek, thank you for seeing in me something that told you I was capable of more, sooner. Mrs. Batcules, I would have killed me for what I put you through - but you still got me through the whole fractions trauma with flying colours!

Ms. MacLean, my first crush. I only learned french because I so wanted to impress you. You were hot.

Mrs. Jackson, I suspect my respect and affection for you is what hooked me on reading a book every week for the next ten years, and also that I love long hair on women because of how I adored you when you read to us all-class-long.

Mr. Waind - Wow! I had no idea that I loved science that much until you showed me what I could accomplish. Thank you for pushing and pushing me to develop the abilities that made me feel like a true champion for the first time in my life.

Mrs. Haine - You don't deserve a medal - you deserve a monument. The absence of structure in that progressive open-concept setting combined with a horde of 11-12 year olds coursing with hormones and posturing is something I would not wish on Socrates himself - but you still pulled out of me the realization that I knew more than I knew that I knew. Your method of teaching is the one I still use most often in the classes I teach; no faint praise, that.

Mr. Davidson - I hope that your life is a happy one and that grade seven did not take too heavy a toll. You put poetry, literary criticism, etymology, linguistics, and an analytic framework into my toolbox - and I have carried them proudly ever since. You got the wife you deserved - that amazing sweetheart, Ms. Thurlow! I even remember feeling pangs of jealousy learning that she was married, and when I learned it was to you - I think maybe that's why I was such a little *bleep* at the end of that year.

Mr. Klassen - You exemplified Christian kindness, decency, and generosity of spirit in such a way that you actually brought me to the evangelical church. Your careful cultivation of my literary ability gave me pride, hope, and during a very hard time, belief in the inherent goodness of people.

Mrs. Vangeloff - You were the first teacher who taught me socialization skills above the chaotic Darwinian milieu that was my freshman year. More, you led by example, and even the toughest of cases mellowed out around you. A true gentle spirit. I still feel awful about that obscene silk-screen serigraph t-shirt design.

Mr. Sarkisian - There was only one computer in the whole school and only three slots on the Reach For The Top team. You put me front and centre before both of them, and even if I did not seem to appreciate it - the intellectually competitive spirit you instilled and the love of computers you gave me has endured to this day. 8k of RAM, a cassette deck as the storage medium, and early basic and assembler as my languages - and somehow, it's still a part of my everyday life (an I/T helper monkey at the college.)

Mr. Kelosky - How did you not beat me with a pipe? I thought you were so harsh. Wow - I had no idea. How can the exact same memory make you a demon then and an angel now?

Dr. Bert Murphy - I owe you more than any other post-secondary educator in my life. You made learning and teaching really fun. You took me under your wing and into your life. You marshalled me through hard times, and through great times. And I swear, that last geology tour we did, when it ended and we left the society members and began the long drive home? It was somewhere south of Chapleau that I was driving your column-shift manual-transmission pick-up, when for the first time I heard you swear - and you unloaded a string of profanities of relief at being able to let loose that I swear I almost crapped myself laughing. Thanks for getting me through the Debbie thing, for being a thesis adviser like no other, and for keeping earth sciences actually awesomely fun through years and a vast diversity of subject matter. You're my hero.

Dr. Peter Peach - The jovial, boisterous, warm expert who made mineralogy a hoot!

Dr. Digger Gorman - Crystallography made me quake with fear until you came along and made it seem like child's play. And making specimen identification a game was inspirational.

Dr. Bruce Liberty - I had a love/hate thing with paleontology and paleontological palynology and dendrochronology because it had the potential to be sooo boring - yet you kept it fresh! (also, thank you for the keys to the Mass Spectrometer room - that made my life so much easier.)

When I shook the dust of that crummy town off my shoes and went to see the world - I never returned. I took nothing of my social life with me. I had no family there. But every one of you was a muscle that has always remained with me. The best of my intellect, curiosity, and need to always grow in knowledge and power came from you.

Again - Thank You.

And to all those who have educated me since, from the Hospital Association, to the U of A, to Okanagan College and the UBCO profs I've enjoyed learning from there - I thank you now and will continue to as long as we know each other.

There are only two professions I consider truly heroic: teachers and nurses. I owe you, I salute you, and I support you - no matter what.


Gregory Krasichynsky

[The Green Barbarian]

There are only two professions I consider truly heroic: teachers and nurses.

Seriously? What about policemen and firemen? How many teachers run into burning buildings as part of their job? Nurse - ok. Teachers - nope.

[gardengirl]

I would like to thank Ed Goldstrom.
He was the ONLY teacher who was there during the teacher's strike when I was in highschool.
He was there for the students.
He was the ONLY teacher who crossed the picket line, past his fellow teachers to go into his classroom.
He was there every day for any student who wanted assistance.

[The Green Barbarian]

I would like to thank Ed Goldstrom.
He was the ONLY teacher who was there during the teacher's strike when I was in highschool.
He was there for the students.
He was the ONLY teacher who crossed the picket line, past his fellow teachers to go into his classroom.
He was there every day for any student who wanted assistance

Cheers Ed. We need more like you buddy - and maybe there'd be a hope for education in this province.

[Carmencat]

It's funny to see this thread, as I have been thinking about my step childrens' teachers over the last couple of days. They are adults now but I have been in their lives since they were 8 and 9. There is only one teacher of all the ones I met/had dealings with that I remember - Don Knox. He is retired now and I saw his pic recently in the Cap News. He is a wonderful person, and was a fabulous teacher.

[The Green Barbarian]

It's funny to see this thread, as I have been thinking about my step childrens' teachers over the last couple of days. They are adults now but I have been in their lives since they were 8 and 9. There is only one teacher of all the ones I met/had dealings with that I remember - Don Knox. He is retired now and I saw his pic recently in the Cap News. He is a wonderful person, and was a fabulous teacher.

This Don Knox?



Whoops - wrong guy.

[Winston_Smith]

There are only two professions I consider truly heroic: teachers and nurses. I owe you, I salute you, and I support you - no matter what.

A patently absurd statement.

[logicalview]

Ask the residents of the heavily subsidized rental housing at Columbus Gardens how they feel about Gregory and his staunch NDP values.

Gregory Krasichynsky will be using his BC Housing bursary to pursue a bachelor of business administration at Okanagan College in Kelowna.

“Since 1994, BC Housing has been supporting tenants living in social housing to take advantage of the Education Awards Program to pursue educational opportunities,” said Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson. “These awards provide people with the chance to attend school and develop new skills.”

Krasichynsky for School Trustee · Building a better future for Kelowna



http://krasichynsky.ca/

So Gregory, who are your suppoters? Any teachers?

Greg is PROUDLY ENDORSED by the NOLC !!
Representing over 8,000 local members, the North Okanagan Labour Council's member organizations include the: BCTF, BCGEU, CUPE 338, CUPE 3523, COPE Professional Workers 378, CUPW, COTA Central Okanagan Teachers' Association, CEP, CEP 2000 Media, HSABC, BCHEU Kelowna, IAFF Kelowna Prof. Firefighters 953, TWU Telecommunications Workers, UFCW 1518, Amalgamated Transit 1722, BC Ambulance Paramedics, BC FORUM, and many more!

Greg on fiscal awarness on school boards and our provincial governemnt...

FISCAL AWARENESS

Schools boards receive only so much from the provincial government, so they have to make tough budgeting decisions. Being able to read & understand complicated financial information, then, would be useful.

You bet it would Gregory.

Speaking about money, how do you feel about how much teachers are paid?

ARE TEACHERS OVER-PAID?

A good measure might be to ask yourself if your family could get by on the average teacher’s pay.

Great answer.

[Carmencat]

LOL I think that was Don Knotts, GB.

[The Green Barbarian]

LOL I think that was Don Knotts, GB.

right

[LoneWolf_53]

@ logicalview

Seems there's absolutely zero bias to be detected in bornhere63's leanings.

[Tero]

Dear Mom and Dad

Thank you for making me who I am.

Love Me.

(And yes, I had some good teachers. And some amazing ones! And some whose names I don't remember and never will - as they were not influential, they were uninspiring, boring, and not worth remembering. Although I clearly remember the English 11 teacher who used to be the first out the door each afternoon and he'd say "Whoever leaves last, turn off the light!" Yes, uninspiring! Hmmm, kind of like some doctors I've know, and dentists, and RCMP members, and check out people at Safeway, and letter carriers, and librarians, and truck drivers... wow, I see a pattern here!!!)

[Rwede]

For school trustee:

Greg Krasichynsky is another New Democrat running in this election. His platform includes some unique and innovative ideas to provide the very best education to the students in this city.

Okay, an NDP unionist.

Thanks, Greg.

[LoneWolf_53]

Always useful to put a face to the rhetoric.

Talk about shamelessly buttering up political supporters.

[logicalview]

Ms. MacLean, my first crush. I only learned french because I so wanted to impress you. You were hot.