History has many famous teachers: Plato, Miss Crump, Mr. Kotter, Miss Nelson (a.k.a. Miss Viola Swamp) Ms. Frizzle, Miss Krabappel, The Professor, Mr. Feeny, Dumbledore, even Stephen King.Teachers are the mentors in our lives who, besides our parents, have our best interests in mind. They are there to encourage and motivate us, but most importantly, help us believe in ourselves, especially when we don’t. Teachers never want to see us fail; their greatest satisfaction comes from seeing their students go on to succeed (despite any grudges you might still carry).
Would any of us here at Phenix & Phenix have become publicists without the grammar and writing skills we learned from our teachers, not just in K-12, but continuing through college? Plain and simple, no.
Inspired by Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teacher Tales, which releases today, here are our tales of appreciation to the educators that made a difference in our lives…
Rusty: Growing up in a small town, we only had one teacher per grade. Mrs. Shelton, my second grade teacher and mom, needless to say is still my favorite teacher. She is still upset about how my handwriting turned out.
Breanna: First, I have to mention Mrs. Lux and her creative writing class that I took during my sophomore year. I loved the class so much I took it twice (can't remember how I finagled that). Mrs. Lux had this special way about her that was both encouraging and firm. She liked me and made me feel good about my work, which meant a lot to a shy teenager such as myself. Then there were the three teachers - yes, three - who taught my Humanities classes freshman/sophomore year. Mr. Murray, Mr. McKinney, and Mr. Chase (or MurMckCh, as my friends and I referred to them) made everything from the ancient Greeks to Frank Lloyd Wright interesting and even (gasp!) fun. And they treated us like adults, which was a rare treat in high school.
Amy: My junior high school English teacher: Mr. Proctor
Easily one of my all-time favorite teachers. I had Mr. Proctor for 7th and 8th grade English, and he somehow taught us more than just language and literature: he imparted his wisdom, humor and the great art of sarcasm. A bit of an odd character, Mr. Proctor had a Boston Terrier named “Lady” that he always talked about, and he used to play us old Simon & Garfunkel albums on his computer (but not “Celia”—too dirty).
My high school theatre director: Missey Head
That’s Missey Head, not Mrs. Head. She insisted. Mrs. Head made my high school years fun, creative and full of great friends that I met in theatre class. When I somehow first gathered the courage to audition for the theatre production class—after being convinced by Mrs. Head that I should—I went from being the shy girl who kept to herself to the outgoing lead actress school plays. We traveled across the state performing, won awards and I still keep in touch with many of my fellow actors today. I never would have found my true voice if it hadn’t been for Mrs. Head.
Merritt: I usually liked all of my teachers, but I did become an adopted daughter to one, Mrs. Cunningham. I still remember all the bones in the body from my seventh grade life science class with her. Now a family friend, she sometimes forgets that she was my teacher. She introduced me to my passion, Bill Nye the Science Guy (@TheScienceGuy on Twitter in case you were wondering).
Shelby: Some of my favorite teachers in middle school also happened to be coaches, and despite the stereotype, I did actually learn from them. They were some of my funniest and most engaging teachers, with big personalities to go with it. One use to keep a tennis ball in his desk drawer, throwing it at students who fell asleep in class. Another, an old Aggie, would share many an A&M story, including tales of Bevo BBQs. Of course, I have to mention Miss Cargile and Dr. Mills, two of my high school English teachers, and Mrs. Andrews, my journalism teacher. Working in publicity, they obviously rubbed off on me. Mr. Wrensman, my intro to news writing professor, taught us things our other teachers, fell short on, especially grammar. It was one of my hardest classes, but also the most rewarding. Because of him, I am the office resource for grammar rules and AP style when all other reference guides fail.
James: I always loved school and was totally a teacher’s pet. I have to start with Mrs. LaBaume, my 4th grade teacher, for helping me transition from East Long Beach to the Memorial-area in Houston. Trust me, that year was a BIG change. I also have to say two of my high school English teachers, Tish Driscoll and Joann Innerarity. I always felt like English teachers were the easiest to talk to, encouraged us the most and actually treated us like adults (I always loved trying to get away with calling them by their first names). Like Amy, I also have to say my theatre teachers, CeCe Prudhomme and Dusty Davidson (he has a twin named Rusty). Theatre is something that helped me build self-confidence and helped me find my own voice. To this day, I’m never afraid to speak in front of a crowd or on the fly. Last but not least, Mrs. Oxspring, a.k.a. Mary Katherine Oxspring, the teacher I spent three-fourths of my high school career with. I had her two years in a row for math and was her teacher assistant my senior year. Seeing as she lives behind my parents, I still see her quite often.
The lessons we learned from our teachers still stick with us to this day. A big thank you to all of our teachers, we couldn’t have done it without you!
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