One time that I specifically remember when a teacher showed compassion to me was in second grade. At that age, I was a quiet child and in general carefree and simply happy. My teacher’s name was Mrs. Cullins. She noticed that one day that I came into class teary-eyed. She approached me and asked me what was wrong. Right there I burst into tears. My family had just put down our dog the night before and I missed Riley very much. Mrs. Cullins hugged me and then brought me a couple tissues and a piece of chocolate. As the day went on, she continued caring for me and comforting me. When the day was coming to a close, and she was giving her final announcements, she walked over to my desk and laid a card on it. She and the whole class had made and signed a card for me. That absolutely made my day and I felt so much better. Mrs. Cullins comforted me in a way that meant so very much. I remember to this day her kindness and compassion. It is this type of teaching that really leaves an impact. Sure, I might not remember the spelling words and math problems that she specifically taught me, but I do remember that lesson in compassion that she taught me.
Hi Emma, (I'm Jim's student aid, in case he hasn't "virtually" introduced me to your class yet; he gave me permission to read/comment on your guys' blogs
ReplyDeleteIt's cool to hear a story about a teacher who had such a profound impact on you even at an early age. We tend to think of our HS teachers - the AP team, band directors, football coaches etc. as our heroes in the teaching world, maybe the ones they were the ones who made our senior years awesome. These guys get all the glory, but we can't forget teachers like Mrs. Cullins - the ones who make our days (or years) better even with the small things that they do like giving a piece of chocolate to someone having a rough day. Like you said, "sure, I might not remember the spelling words and math problems, but I will always remember the lesson of compassion she taught me." And when your 80 years old, looking back at your life, you're still going to remember Mrs. Cullins, and probably at the expense of you times tables. "Oh no...." :)