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Posted: 11/19/02

Greg Hunt

For American Education Week, thank a good teacher

Across this great land of ours, American Education Week is being recognized in various ways to appreciate the impact teachers, administrators and support personnel at schools have had on our society. For over two centuries in this nation, good education has been deemed an important and very necessary element to raising citizens, and much of America's growth through that span can be attributed to the work that has taken place within the many walls of our schools.

Parents areñor should beñthe primary teachers of their children in many areas, a natural relationship of handing down what they have learned to their offspring. But there is something special about the profession of teaching where an individual chooses to make an impact on children they hardly know on Day 1 of class and yet they have a goal of sending those young faces on their way to a well-rounded education in the 180 or so days they will have them in his or her care.

I feel I was blessed with the number of good teachers who put in their time with me during my years in the Braham school district. My Elementary days were spent listening to teachers Rundell, Severson, Roos, Parrish and Jones, dedicated women who were gentle guides to learning. The Middle School years exposed my classmates and me to more good teachers: Theis in English, Turnquist in History, Donager in Art, Brown in Home Ec, Grundyson in Phy Ed, and Erickson and Lykins in Science stand out in my memory for their guidance.

At Braham High, more teachers continued their influence on my life, and many of them have enjoyed long teaching careers. Several have retired, but several are still hard at it with the current crop of students. The English teachers Glidden, Renzaglia and Fahrni did their job in shaping my interest in literature and writing. A great set of Math teachers in Christensen and Timgren pushed me in that arena. Skarsten and Kaunonen furthered the knowledge of Government. The Nortons increased my interest in Art and Music. Science teachers Bodeen and Brabec helped us understand the order of nature and physics. Londgren and Peterson introduced typing and business. PE teachers Melcher and Meyer exposed us to several ways to stay physically fit.

You often hear complaints from other folks of how their teachers or schools were junk, how it was a waste of time showing up. Obviously, I don't feel the same way, knowing between my parents and my teachers that I learned a lot about a lot of things. The rest was up to me.

Leaving the halls of school exposed me to many more folks, and many of them were teachers. Most just weren't called "teachers." Along with college professors were sergeants in the National Guard, supervisors and co-workers at the jobs I've held, ministers and musicians, and many friends who passed on their knowledge of practical skills.

It's a good cycle, this education thing. If you've got a spare moment this week, take the time to let at least one teacherñschool oriented or notñlet you know you appreciate the time he or she spent with you.

"The whole purpose of education is, or should be, to develop minds. The mind should be a thing that works. It should be able to pass judgement on events as they arise, make decisions."

-Sherwood Anderson