Did you have a teacher who made a difference in your life?
This is American Education Week, when parents are invited to attend classes with their children and see firsthand what’s happening in our public schools. It also seems like an opportune time to think back on the teachers and administrators who made a lasting impression in each of our lives.
Whether they inspired us, set us on a career path or simply set us straight, we all have a story to tell about an educator who made a difference. My fifth grade teacher, Mr. Post, is one who comes to mind. It was in his class that we each got to build a model rocket and launch it into the sky above Fishkill Elementary School. I still remember the struggle with an Exacto knife, glue and more than a few tears of frustration. But I also remember the rush of creating something new from a mere bag of parts and a page of instructions. And I will never forget watching my rocket slip the surly bonds of earth in a whoosh of sparks and smoke.
My rocket landed somewhere, I’m sure, but somehow I can only remember it on the way up. The experience, and Mr. Post’s confidence that my 10-year-old self was up to the task, made the future seem open wide to my wildest dreams.
For more on teachers who made a difference, click here to hear my WAMD 970 AM Morning Show co-host Maynard Edwards interview a teacher who had a lasting effect on his life, Mr. Mike Thatcher of Harford County Public Schools.
Maynard’s remembrance of Thatcher follows.
In fall of 1989 in the halls of Egdewood High School I met Mike Thatcher. He was a young teacher, I was a freshman still trying to figure out who I was. Mike was kind enough to cast me as Seymour Krelborn- the leading man of the musical “Little Shop of Horrors”.
From that moment on, Mr. Thatcher became not only a teacher to me but a mentor and a friend. There simply is not space enough on this or any forum to list the myriad of things that Mike Thatcher taught me I say this without hesitation or reservation: without Mike Thatcher I would simply not be the person who I am today and most of the successes I’ve had in my career (and I’ve been blessed to have many) would simply not have been possible. Mike saw something in a scrawny, smart-mouthed, out of place teenager and turned him (read: ME) into something…well….let’s just say something a little more manageable.
But Mike is just one shining example of the best that Harford County Schools has to offer. There are many many teachers all across our county, our state and indeed even our country who have taken students and changed their lives for the better. Teachers who provide students with things that aren’t covered by text books: inspiration, motivation and probably even the occasional kick in the ass. For me Mike Thatcher gave me direction and it I am in his debt for that to this day.
I doubt there are very many readers who can’t look back and think of a teacher or teachers who changed their lives. I’m lucky enough to get to thank mine in a public forum.
My list of my own amazing teachers is easy to remember: Mrs. Gas from William Paca, my third grade teacher who was always nice to me, Mrs. Carol Mohr from Egdewood Middle who taught me how to stand in front of a crowd and speak, Mr. Geoff Winfield at Edgewood High who taught me more about music than anyone else.
And of course a special thanks to Mike Thatcher who changed my life.
I’ve worked with Mike. This is a a wonderful tribute to a dedicated professional.
I attended Hickory Elementary School in the fifth grade, the first year it was desegregated. I had a teacher names Ms. McNellis. Can’t remember her first name, but, I always liked school, but that year I loved it. She was extremely encouraging, positive, and always made learning fun! We wrote the school song that year,
“We are so happy to be here at Hickory…lol, okay enough of that. Now I am King of the world, oops, no, President of the United States, Heck NO!, CEO of Government Motors, Nah, Middle Level Management, nope,
editor, yep, that’s it! Life is good! (I don’t own the franchise on that tagline)
“We are so happy to be here at Hickory
We like the spirit that greets us each day
We like the way we are taught
The things that are sought
Yes, we like it here”
Hickory Elementary School First first grade…Mrs. Markline’s class – Mrs Berry in the library….. WOW!!
plus – Mike Thatcher is still WONDERFUL! as is Jeff Winfield….!!!
I have to agree that Dorothy Markline, who was my first grade teacher, was an exceptional teacher and role model. She was also the assistant principal at Hickory Elementary when I was there in the late 60’s. She was a no nonsense person, and expected the best from her students. I know that there were kids who were so afraid of her, but I loved her dearly. Mrs. Berry, the librarian at Hickory, was another outstanding was another gem. But I have to say, that the teacher that influenced me more than anyone was Ms. Diane Pulling, my creative writing teacher at BAHS. She was free spirited, high liberated and treated us as adults. I always felt so respected in her class. She offered great advice, and I remember, she loved to laugh.She taught me to express myself on paper, something that I’d always done, but not as well before I met her. She has since relocated to Minnesota and is still teaching there, however, her facebook page is filled with former students who feel the same as I.Thanks, Diane!
I was at HCPS in the late 80s. Ms. Berry was still there, dedicated to her job. I’ll never forget, she introduced us to “Chadwick the Crab,” The Hardy Boys series, and Matt Christopher sports novels!
I was at HCPS in the late 80s. Ms. Berry was still there, dedicated to her job. I’ll never forget, she introduced me to Chadwick the Crab, The Hardy Boys series, and Matt Christopher sports novels!
There could not have been an educator that loved children more than Mrs. Berry. She also played an important role in my reading! Mr. Brown was also exceptional. Didn’t attend the low grades there. That was at Forest Hill. Ms. Hoopes First Grade, Ms. Grafton, Second Grade, Mrs. Mary Harkins, Third Grade, Mrs. Olla Mae Harkins, Fourth Grade, all people who loved their children. You didn’t want to mess around with Ms. Grafton. She was nice, but if you caused trouble like Steve Billings LOL, or David Richardson, you were in big trouble! Louis Seidel was our principal at Hickory…the song..that we have learned how to win, lose, or just do our best, yes we like it here. we’ve learned to climb to the top of the mountain of life, battle trouble and strife….