Growing up, I had a speech impairment. I had a terrible time with the "thr" sound, so that when I said "three", it sounded like "free". This was long before schools began to offer speech therapy, so I was just kind of stuck with it.
I remember one day in 5th grade, in Mrs. B. Johnson's math class. Mrs. Johnson was originally from New York City, so if you wanted to get her distracted, you just had to ask about NYC. She would get so distracted, we never had to do any math that day. On this day, I had to do a problem in front of the class, and it involved the number three. She laughed at the way I said three, and told the class how lazy and dumb I was. Some laughed, but most just sat there feeling bad for me and ashamed of her. I felt like I must just be dumb and "not good enough".
When I was a junior in high school, my English teacher and my History teacher came up to me together in the hall. One of them said, "We think you would do a good job on the Forensics team as an extemporaneous speaker" There were very IMPOSING figures at our school, and nobody gave these two teachers any trouble (yes, Deputy and McDaniel, my MHS friends!) But, even though I had no idea what extemporaneous even meant, I did hear the word "speaker"-public speaker? Me-what a joke! I looked them both square in the eyes and said 'How can I be a speaker with the way I talk?" I thought they had lost their minds.
But they had not. They responded that they knew some drills that I could practice with them, after-school and at home on my own, that would probably correct the problem. I was willing to try, but wondered if it would really work.
Well, it did. I did o.k. my junior year, and by my senior year, I placed 1st in District, 2nd at Regionals, and 2nd in the state of Virginia for Group A. Our team finished second in the state that year as well, losing to George Mason High School. For me, being able to speak clearly was a life-changing experience. I went on to be student body President of my high school, and was able to use my public speaking skills in college and as a pastor.
My life changed because two teachers cared enough to work with me, as opposed to one who just wanted to make fun of me. This is a big week in Mathews as Mrs. Trusch, our former US government teacher, turn 90 years old. What teachers have made a positive impact on your life?What teachers and/or their comments caused you pain? How have you strived to help others in their lives? Please share with all of us.
Have a blessed day!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Be sure to vsit CBW's blog today:
ReplyDeletehttp://lifeinmathews.blogspot.com/
she has a great post on Mrs. Trusch
Teachers- a topic that is near and dear to me.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmothers were two of the best teachers students could have had. I used to sit with them and grade papers and listen to their stories. They taught school during desegregation in Cumberland county, Virginia. It was tough for everyone.
Their stories had tremendous impact on me- I followed in their footsteps. I became a teacher, too. The Renaissance Academy campus is home to a new museum in Virginia Beach. I teach at-risk teenagers there. The Union- Kempsville School was on the site before and during the early years of desegregation- and it was the school in the area that served black citizens. Now my son is going to follow in my footsteps and become a teacher. The love of seeing the "Anthonys" of our world succeed is our greatest joy.
oh pfffttt.. oddly I don't remember you saying "free" instead of "three" and even if you did... Ms Johnson should be smacked.. even today. that was uncalled for and mean..
ReplyDeleteby the way.. I was almost 30 before I stopped speaking with an accent and by that time I had a combined Mathews County New Point accent mixed in with a touch of North Carolina.. talk about sounding like a hick. I still sound that way.. just not from 8 to 5.
Hey there - I don't remember you having any speech problem either, but I do remember you being big on the forensics team.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I didn't have a teacher make fun of me, in kindergarten (down at the court house in between Slaughters and the old post office - a tiny little cincerblock building) my teacher (who was awesome, except this once) asked the class to come up with words that rhymed. I was painfully, horribly shy, but I raised my hand and said, "Iron and barn," because at the time I pronounced iron as arn, so naturally that rhymed with barn, at least to me it did.
All she said was, "No, that's not right," and then moved on to someone else. But she never told me WHY it wasn't right, and I'll never forget sitting there wondering what my mistake was. It took me many years to finally realize why.
It's a really simple example, but it's stuck with me for 45 years. It's better to explain something to someone rather than to just say, "Nope, that's not right."
I wonder how many cards Mrs. Trusch received? I ought to go down there and ask.
It's amazing how teacher's word can affect us. When I was really young, we had to play those stupid recorders. Mr. Shuber told me to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" I was nervous and went very slow. He told me how terrible I was, and I NEVER picked up a musical instrument again. I had enough to deal with without having more humiliation.
ReplyDelete