More About Teachers, etc.

I had a couple of terrible teachers; the one in first grade who scared me so much I'd throw up every day before school, and the high school algebra teacher who always spoke in a monotone and was so boring I could hardly stay awake in his class.

But most of my teachers were good and quite a few were wonderful. The best ones had one quality in common; they all cared a lot about helping their students learn. Most of the good ones were strict and they were all enthusiastic about the subjects they taught and changed the lives of many students as a result.

In a time when hundreds of teachers are getting laid off it must be difficult for any of them to be enthusiastic about their jobs, but I hope they'll care enough about their current students to continue doing their best.

Like many people, teachers who get laid off might have to take jobs they don't really want because that's better than being unemployed. But the ones who can be enthusiastic about the new jobs and strict about getting the details right will probably be good at them, too. And they may even make a difference in people's lives.

Come to think of it, people who aren't teachers can make a difference with the right attitude, too.