My Teacher

I was a teacher for 39 years and when I look back…in all honesty…I probably learned more from my students than they ever learned from me. Each student was a unique individual which meant…I had a lot to learn. It took a lot of time and effort…a lot of respect between us needed to be earned… Each student had their own set of problems…some we had to accept…others we tried to quell…It was my job to help them to find the talents they possessed as well. You like to think you were able to find a way to help…to make your words and actions blend…so all the time and effort you spent with each student was worth it in the end. You hope you have an impact on a student before it’s time for them to go… but when it comes to most of the students you teach…the truth is…you never know. You never know what will happen from the moment your time with a student begins… With any lucky when they leave your classroom you’re both a better person than you were the moment they walked in. Then, every now and then something wonderful happens that brings a smile to your face and warms your heart…like when an old student of mine messaged me to say she was in a musical and had a singing part! She asked if Deborah and I were coming… I said of course…the pleasure would be ours… then with total innocence she added, “Thanks, Yerman, and don’t forget to bring me flowers.” We watched her sing and dance and at the end of her musical play…we presented her with flowers…. my surprise came the next day. On her Facebook page she wrote ‘I got flowers from my teacher Mr. Yerman…which brought me on the verge of tears…that she still thinks of me as her teacher…even after all these years. It’s funny in all the time we spent together…both of us learning how to be… I never taught her how to sing or dance…those were lessons she taught to me. Which shows we never know the extent of the influence we have in the things we say and do… I only hope Andrea, you who became my teacher…learned as much from me as I have learned from you.