More About Books and Teachers

Sunrise was at 5:11, sunset will be at 9:10 and the weather is gray and overcast.  Again.  I think we can count on one set of hands the number of days the skies were not only clear but the air was warm.  Solstice is coming , surely we'll get some days where we have to open and leave open the windows and doors.  I have a brand-new screen door I want to take out for a test run.

I'm sure that many of you have your own private memories of Ray Bradbury, his books, the influence his writing had on you.  I recently shared my own introduction to Fahrenheit 451 with the Northwest Book Lovers on-line magazine and you can read it here.

What I neglected to do in that remembrance was to thank the teacher who introduced me to Ray Bradbury and the teacher who introduced me to the other author who changed the way I look at life, John Steinbeck.

Mr. Beckman, thank you for handing out those stacks of books with Fahrenheit 451 included.  Mr. Davis, thank you for John Steinbeck and your encouragement to study all of his work. You may never know just how much those volumes influenced us or what we are able to do as a result of being exposed to them.  Their writings definitely changed the way I read, the way I write, and the way I encounter people. 

I've always felt lucky to have been a student in a really small high school with a very small faculty.  Each of our teachers had a pretty profound affect on me and truly did what high school teachers everywhere are supposed to do:  show us who and what we can be and help us learn the skills to be the best at it.

Hmm...maybe it's appropriate to end with a thank you to all of the teachers out there who don't get the acknowledgement they're due when the end of the school year comes.  My love of science would never have blossomed if it hadn't been for Mr. Bures; I still sing (loudly) the songs Mr. Lannom shared with the Ensemble and the choir; Mr. Radcliffe showed us all how to respect ourselves and others; Mr. Reeves let a cheerleader into his auto shop class and gave her the ability to pretty much do anything as long as there was enough grease and a wrench; and Ms. Hamblen gave me art, a very sharp knife, and the confidence that I'd be able to handle it well. 

Here's to you!  A very belated thanks to you all.