Do you know Nancy Yacavone Karpyk or Susie Stevens? What about Nancy Elliott, Patti Ball or Randy Cook? Well if you don’t know those people you must know Darrell Woods or Paula Moore?
Yeah, probably not. Let me let you in on a secret: I don’t know them either. Those seven people as well as thirteen other strangers to me are all part of USA Today’s 2006 All-USA Teacher Team.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
To me you are some of the most important people in the United States. You, as well as other teachers, are so important in today’s society teaching the current generation of students.
I tend to be very quick at math and I can trace the reason why all the way back to second grade. My teacher at the time was Mrs. Hartwell. She had the class play a game called “around the world”. Basically what would happen is the first two students who sit next to each other on one side of the room would stand up, Mrs. Hartwell would then show a flashcard with a math equation on it. The first person to shout out the correct answer would win and move on to face the next person. This would continue until three people made it back to their desk. The winners got cup cakes. Yes, I have a sweet tooth (thanks, Mom) and needed to win. Most of the time I was in the top three and enjoyed every bit of the prize.
Clearly I didn’t know at the time that Mrs. Hartwell and the game “around the world” would stay with me for 37 years.
I am sure all of us know teachers. My mother-in-law taught sixth grade for over 35 years until she retired a few years ago. We have a close friend of the family named Keri who is currently a teacher. When you listen to their stories, they all possess the same passion and desire for the teaching profession and absolutely love it!
Today is “Thank a Teacher Day.” Thanks Yacavone, Susie, Nancy, Patti, Randy, Darrell, Paula, Bev and Keri.
I look forward to your comments and other stories like “around the world.”
Betsy Sutherland says:
I remember Mrs. Pappas from the 10th grade. She is the first person who helped me really understand math and numbers. There there was Ginny Lobel in college who furthered that understanding in college Algebra. If it weren’t for these two ladies I most likely would not be in market research today.
kath says:
Merrill,
Great post – teachers are definately unsung heros.
Personally, I’d like to give a shout out to one of my favorite teachers; the inimitable Mrs. Ploss
Thank you for everything you do Mrs. P!
:- ) kath
Rama says:
Yup. Totally agree with you there.
imho, A nation’s wealth ought to be measured by the quality of teachers 🙂
Bev says:
Merrill…great blog…thanks for the “honorable mention”.
Janet Savoie says:
The teachers that did the most for me are the ones I liked the least at the time. They challenged me to keep getting better and to work harder, and I now can look back and appreciate what they taught me. It has served me well in all aspects of my life.
Susan Hayes says:
Just finished my annual holiday card to Dr. Jacquetta McClung. She was the Clemson professor that introduced me to research and encouraged me to go to the Georgia MMR program. It was probably “all in a day’s work” for her, but it changed my life, so I send her a note every holiday season to thank her.
Kimberly White says:
I would have to agree with Janet Savoie! The teachers that I remember the most are ones that really pushed me to do my best and to give 110% effort all of the time. I was forced to take a computer course in HS that I didn’t want to take so I was determined to just get by in that class. Mr. Binswanger didn’t allow that to happen! He pushed me to get better grades because he knew that I wan’t giving his class all of my effort and he wasn’t going to allow that to happen. I remember him to this day because he believed in me and pushed me to succeed to my full potential! Thanks Mr. Binswanger!
Paula says:
Thank you for recognizing teachers. I wish more teachers could be lauded for their dedication and commitment to their students. I loved reading about your experiences with your teacher, and it’s wonderful for you to publicly acknowledge her.
Thanks for taking the time to care!
Merrill Dubrow says:
CONGRADS TO ANDREA PETERSON FOR BEING NAMED 2007 TEACHER OF THE YEAR!
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-04-24-peterson-teacher_N.htm
Thank you for all you do!