Why Don't We Hear More about Good Teachers?

Kyle's present: 
a Christmas coffee mug

SOME MONTHS BACK, I ASKED former students to tell me about teachers who had made a difference in their lives.

I've been side-tracked lately, focusing on other issues, including making fun of Mitt Romney's position on teachers' unions, but decided it was time to do another post about the ways teachers make a difference. I was drinking coffee this morning out of a mug given to me by a former student.

In Kyle's case, I had him for a class in Ancient World History. So the subject of religion often came up. Kyle was serious in his Christian values and what I liked (though I'm not especially religious) was his strong commitment to principled conduct. I tried to be sure he knew how much I respected his thinking and he gave me the mug as a present at Christmas.

The point is, I tried to make a difference, tried to help students learn to think for themselves. That's just one part of what good teachers do; and I saw countless good teachers during my career and still do. But to listen to critics you wouldn't even know they exist.

Good teachers don't make the news.

In the same way, I noticed a post on Facebook a few weekends ago. It was from Ms. Katie Rose, a Loveland Middle School teacher, congratulating the graduating class of 2012, kids she'd worked with four years before. I think she said that she was going to three graduation parties. In other words, that's three lives she touched.

And I was telling a friend recently about Mr. Scott Sievering, another Loveland Middle School teacher. I once watched him console a pregnant girl, in the eighth grade, with a couple of the most perfect sentences I ever heard anyone utter.

I wish I had written them down at the time so I could demonstrate how he did it. I only known now he told the young lady he always respected her because she was "real" and "genuine." And I know it made an impact, because the same young lady came to me in class the next day and told me how Mr. Sievering's words had touched her and how much better she felt afterwards, because he had shown her he cared.

In my case, I'm still lucky enough to hear from former students on a regular basis. Dave Eastman, a Loveland High School and Yale graduate, stopped by my house and gave me a copy of his book:  Paul the Martyr:  The Cult of the Apostle in the Latin West.  I think it shows us something important about teaching, and what good teachers do, to note that he made sure I received a copy. Jay Vinson, another former student, and I trade political opinions via Facebook. He's a conservative guy and I'm an old liberal codger; but I enjoy hearing what he has to say, just as I did when I was still teaching. I'm Facebook friends with Jennifer Chast, too, a former star student, now a Loveland High School teacher of math. I've heard from a number of sources that she does an excellent job and I can't say I'm surprised. Mandi Vargo also checks in on occasion. Another great young lady to have in class "back in the day." She has a high school position in Louisiana, working with Teach for America, and she's determined to make a difference.

No doubt she will.

This past May I visited my old place of employment, Loveland Middle School. Mr. Dave Fletcher was organizing a visit by an array of veterans, in celebration of Memorial Day. I talked about my funnier experiences in boot camp in 1969, and my "heroic service" as a clerk in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. But Dave had some real heroes:  men who fought in World War II, an F-16 pilot who dodged missiles over Baghdad in 1991, Ace Gilbert, a great speaker who saw heavy combat in Vietnam, and more. I'd heard Joe Whitt, a Pearl Harbor survivor, talk during previous visits. But this time he told a story he hadn't when he visited before. Mr. Whitt took part in the Battle of Savo Island in 1942 and saw a U. S. battle cruiser take a direct hit from Japanese fire, breaking in half and sinking in seconds.

Joe told students he still has dreams sometimes about that moment. He sees the cruiser explode. He sees the bodies of U. S. sailors go flying into the air. Only, in his dream, he's one of them. He flies high in the sky, and when he starts coming down he's scared. At the last moment, as he's about to hit the water, he puts his feet close together and locks his arms at his side and prepares to hit the ocean perfectly.

And then he wakes up.

Seventy years later, Whitt still remembers what war is like, still recalls the horror, and Mr. Fletcher lines up Joe and thirteen other veterans to speak. And through that effort, Mr. Fletcher also touches lives.

I ATTENDED A CINCINNATI REDS game recently with two old friends. Steve Ball, is recently retired after a long career, teaching math at Loveland Middle School. It's a long story to explain how I know what I'm going to explain, but at the end of every school year, I let my students rate my class. I had them do so anonymously, because I wanted to know what they really thought and try to improve.

One young man told me succinctly:  "You suck 4 Real!"

At any rate, in order to form a kind of baseline comparison, I asked kids to name "any teacher" they thought had done an "excellent" job. Not just a "good" job. I asked them to single out "excellence." Every year--every year I gave that survey--more than half of all students, if they also had Mr. Ball, mentioned his efforts.

The third member of the trio was Jeff Sharpless, and he's still working today. He and I used to teach the same subject; and we often worked on joint projects with kids. Jeff once dreamed up a play, based on Homer's Illiad, and including Jessica Simpson (as Helen of Troy's rival), and we put it on every year for our classes. That meant Jeff had to stay after school twenty or twenty-five afternoons to work with actors and artists and singers. (Yep:  his play included a Greek chorus.) So he got fifty kids involved and did it for free every year. He also ran a guitar club after school, also free, and got young men and women interested in music.

I KNOW THERE ARE CRAPPY TEACHERS OUT THERE, TOO. I've never had an ounce of respect for educators who don't give the job their all. But we need to hear far more about those who do.

So I'll give one more example. Then I'll turn it over to a former student to finish this up. At the end of this month my wife, Anne, retires, ending a long career as a speech therapist with the Hamilton City Public Schools. Yet, she still came home all this last year excited about what she was doing to help real kids. With the assistance of several other dedicated special education instructors, she managed to get a nine-year-old girl to say the first words she'd ever spoken. Those same teachers, working with my wife, found a way to get a severely autistic boy to start using a book with pictures, representing basic words and phrases, so that he could stick them on a velcro strip in proper order and "say" "I want...blue...fruit."

They taught a young man to communicate.

Finally, I turn it over to Cathy Nye. When I had Ms. Nye for American history, back in her middle school days, she was the kind of classroom star who always stood out. She, too, went on to a career in the classroom. So, when I asked former students, sometime back, to comment on educators who made a difference in their lives Ms. Nye had plenty to say:

Going through [the] Loveland School system, I had countless teachers that were amazing - the list of ones I'm not particularly fond of is amazingly small...

My 2nd grade teacher, Miss Hipp (not Loveland schools) I remember truly loving. There are also some vague recollections of going to her class when I was in 1st grade for reading class because I was ahead of the rest of the class.

Mrs. Martin in 5th grade I think is who I have to credit with my love of math and history (though the latter I also blame on my dad). On a more embarrassing note, I still sucked my thumb in 5th grade and Mrs. Martin challenged me to stop - even offering me her own incentive (which I have long forgotten).

Cathy listed several others who made a lasting impact, including Mr. Bob Wagner, at Loveland High, a name that repeatedly comes up whenever good teaching is the subject. So, yeah, teachers like Wagner and Rose and Sievering and Sharpless and Ball, make a huge difference and do it in all kinds of ways. Ms. Nye provides a last example:

What I love about what Mr. Viall is doing here is pointing out the awesome and amazing impact that teachers have - an impact that is not measurable on any kind of test, standardized or not. I had a student for Psychology one year who told me that I was his favorite teacher he'd ever had, the one that made him feel most comfortable in the classroom. I was incredibly touched by that statement but also incredibly sad because this student was a senior in high school and it was sad that it'd taken that long for someone to impact his life. This student wasn't the best in the class, we never had a heart-to-heart chat but still, a teacher had an impact and made a difference in his life.

THAT'S WHAT TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT.

Why Teaching Matters: Part Five (Sing Sing, STAR Awards, Singing and Swimming)

Lunch with Mr. Tucker, right.
I'm happy to say:  in black and white,
my wrinkles are much harder to see.

I was happy to have lunch recently with former-star-student Joel Tucker and his wife--and always consider it an honor when old students are willing to spend time with a teacher they had back in seventh or eighth grade. 

I'm not going to lie, I think I did a pretty good job in the classroom, myself, and think good teachers make a huge difference in young people's lives.  Unfortunately, these days, we don't hear enough about good teachers. 

Joel filled me in on what he was up to and told me about what other Loveland grads were doing--mostly good, of course--but did mention one fellow who was serving life in prison for a double murder. So, you never know, if you're a teacher, how life will turn out for the boys and girls who sit before you and all you can do is do your best to help them turn out right.

Joel was always a pleasure to have in class back in the day; and he still has the STAR Awards I gave him (those were like "certificates of appreciation" I used to give everyone, an idea I took from Paula Dupuy, a fantastic young counselor, who worked for Loveland City Schools in those days). And the fact those awards meant something to Joel, when he was young, and the fact he still has them today, plays into a series of posts I've been doing.

I don't think we can ever really "measure" most of what teachers do and I'm no fan of standardized testing for that reason, among others.

The first of five STAR's Joel earned (September 5, 1984) read: 

"I was impressed the FIRST day of school because Joel said 'thank you' four times--and I'm hoping my 5-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son will turn out as well-mannered as Mr. T. has." 

The last (March 30, 1985), explained why I always liked having him in class:  "Mr. Tucker sometimes doesn't realize how many good qualities he has.  But I DO!  I'll take hard workers like Joel in class any day!"

In any case, I've been asking former students to comment on teachers who shaped their lives in positive ways and the response has been excellent.  (Again, I doubt, in ten or twenty years anyone is going to be looking back and saying, "I remember Mr. Slapshot, because he helped me pass the standardized test."  There's way more to what teachers do.)

Sarah Hager, who teaches now herself, responded with this:

I wanted to share this story, but also respect the person's privacy--so you get a message! In first grade I had Marirose Stiver for a teacher. There was a boy in our class (NAME WITHHELD, although Sarah still remembers) that must have been going through some tough things at home--his behavior was volatile. One day he was disciplined for going down the slide and getting muddy, after being instructed not to, of course. He completely flipped out, started screaming and kicking, threw his desk and chair across the room and totally lost control.

Mrs. Stiver walked over to him, took his hand, smiled so sweetly at him, and walked him out of the room and up the hallway to the principal's office without saying a word. She came back to class, told all of the wide-eyed students that "K----- was having a rough day" and that "sometimes we all feel better when we let our feelings out". She handled the situation with class, dignity, and respect for K----- as well as for our feelings. I will never forget it.

I truly believe she set the example for me to successfully work in special education. I think of her (and that incident) every time one of my students acts out. We NEVER know what baggage our students carry when they walk through our door, but we always give them love, support, safety, respect, and empathy. Mrs. Stiver was (and is) an amazing teacher, and I'm sure she holds a special place in the hearts of many Loveland students.

Jerry Dotson, who still sings with a local band, remembers a teacher who "stalked" him all the way through his days in the Loveland City Schools:

First grade at Branch Hill I go to music class and meet Mrs. Henderson and for the next 5 years she`s my music teacher. Then I move to Loveland and attend Loveland Elementary and lo and behold. Mrs Henderson is there. Then its on to Middle School and who`s the choir director you guessed it. Well in the eighth grade I got one of the leads in the spring musical and had ALOT of solo`s. And who met me three days a week at 6:00 a.m. for a month and a half to help just me with my solo`s. Now being a kid I never gave it a second thought as to why she was always my Music teacher, but now realize she taught music for the the entire school system. And for her to do all that plus take that extra time for just me. I am forever grateful and to this day believe she`s why I love to sing.

Jerry and I (and a number of other former students) used to play pickup basketball Sunday nights, in the Loveland Middle School gym, and I remember him for both his deadly long-range shot and sense of humor; and still remember Vicki Leroy Busby as a star student, too.  She was able to recall a whole list of teachers who made a difference. Apparently, she was a little obstreperous at times, although I never witnessed that side of her personality:

Second grade--Mrs. Davidson swatted the kids who deserved it. I loved when she had our whole class over to her house to make Christmas cookies.

Third grade--Mrs. Lewis gave us these awesome little sugar coated ball candies when we were good. We LOVED those!

Fifth grade--Mrs. Glasgow showed how proud she was of me, a scrawny little girl beating every boy--except for maybe Gary Sands--in arm wrestling. Small but mighty I say!

Fourth grade--Mrs. Ross showed me that math could be fun when it was taught in a non-intimidating way and games like Around the World were incorporated. The same goes for Mrs. Christianson, my 9th grade algebra teacher (except we didn't play Around the World in there). 

Sixth grade--Mrs. Reid--one of the sweetest human beings on the face of the earth

8th grade--Mrs. Puls for turning the other way when I had a 7th grade boy raised against his locker demanding he buy me another frisbee since he threw my favorite one into the Ohio River during a field trip. I was SO peeved.

High school--Mrs. Lemon taught me to appreciate the beauty and geology of our national parks when we had to pick one and do a project on it.
--Mrs. Foster told me that I wouldn't need a microphone to be heard on the radio and I got the last word in on that when I came back to visit her class on college break and told her that indeed I used a microphone to be heard all over Indianapolis on its NPR station. Touche. 

How could I forget Mr. Wagner?! He was hands-down the best chemistry and physics teacher and an all-around great person. He challenged his students and encouraged their involvement in extracurricular activities at school. He was the sponsor of many of the clubs at school and volunteered many hours of his time to these clubs. I know one person who became a forensic chemist because of Mr. Wagner's advanced chemistry class.

This comment, added by Dwane Shelly after an earlier post, is going to be hard to top, when it comes to a teacher making a difference in a rather unsual way:

Totally forgot Mrs. LEMMON. Actually she saved my life. Some twenty years ago my fiance and myself....er now my wife....went to Edisto Beach, SC. In my mad rush to "swim out" into the ocean....forgot about the rip currents there. Beach empty...wife assleep on beach...long story short I got pulled so far out I could no longer see shoreline. After panicking and wondering if Jaws was going to dine on my toes....I closed my eyes and lo and behold....I remembered a slide she had shown in her class Oceans of Air and Water. ......it was a slide describing ocean currents and rip currents. I laid on my back...pointed my head at an angle...and barely dipped my hands in the water to maintain the top layer of current.....came in about a mile downshore.....wife didn't even know there was a problem. I'd say that was a piece of education that truly saved my life.

Vicki agreed with Dwane--then added, "I thought of Mrs. Lemon when I was at Crater Lake because I remembered the slides she showed from there. I still smile when I think of the phrase she taught us all: 'Oh, piffle!'"

For now, I'll let Ms. Vicki have the last word today:  "Reading all of these comments makes me appreciate my Loveland education more than ever before. We truly were fortunate to have had some great teachers teaching us. It's the lessons we learned in the classroom that we remember most, not the standardized tests we took."

Why Teaching Matters: What's the Square Root of Inspiration? Part 5

Did she try to kill that boy or didn't she?
What do students really remember about teachers
who made a difference?

Well, we're ten years into the Age of the Testing Fix in this country, when standardizing education was supposed to make everything better. So, where do we stand? With billions spent and millions of hours wasted preparing for and taking standardized tests, we're pretty much in the same place where we first began.

It isn't always the diet plan or the diet planner that matters. 

More often than not, it's the dieter's motivation.

So, I've been asking former students to comment on teachers who made a difference in their lives, mostly in the years before testing became a mania. 

Let's start with Joey Caylor Spencer.  She remembers Mrs. Henderson, the middle school and high school choir director:  "I loved Mrs Henderson. She didn't let me get away with just singing in choir, she made me learn how to read music. She doesn't get the credit she deserves for all she did to make kids feel special."

Elaina Wolff Strub agreed:

Not to discount other teachers, but Mrs. Henderson stands alone in my experience. (Mr. Viall, you stand out too, but more for the um, ahem, incident in class...). Now that I am a teacher myself, I realize how dedicated Marge was to all of us. It takes A LOT of time to do the job just as it needs to be done, but she ALWAYS went above and beyond. I can't even imagine how much of her life she spent working and preparing for work, much less on all the extra activities that came along with Show Choir and such. She was so clearly passionate about her subject and a major player in my teenage years... (this coming from a reformed choir nerd, of course.)

If you've been reading this series of posts, you know what I've been saying.  You can't measure what a choir teacher is doing and the degree to which good teachers, like Mrs. Henderson, shape lives. 

You can't do it.

In a brief posting, Jacquelyn Pohl, a recent Loveland graduate, harkened back to her earliest days in school to find a teacher who really mattered:  "Believe it or not my first grade teacher Mrs. Hoppe was so encouraging and inspirational. I would always talk with her growing up to[o]... she was a great mentor with a lot of insight."

Insight?  Is this going to be on the standardized test?  (God, we're letting the fools run American education today. Sorry:  had to get that out of my system.)

Tami Barnett posted a brief tribute to two elementary teachers (and I know from working with Mrs. Lundy in the higher grades later, that Ms. Barnett is right):  "i was blessed to have mrs. lundy for 1st and 3rd grade...she was amazing!  and having mr atkins for 2nd was a treat too. i was pushed to challenge myself and appreciate them for it!"

Andrew Grote and Mike Smyth had fond memories of my class.  But I mean this series as a tribute to other Loveland teachers--and there are many excellent ones so far not mentioned--and to hundreds of thousands of educators who are out there working hard every day all across the country. 

So here's what Andrew says about Mr. Ball, Mr. Friedmann and Mr. Zinnecker:

I can comment on teachers that made a difference to me. 4 to be exact...Not one of these guys taught the same subject. But they all had one thing in common. They never pushed me to conform with the way everyone else learned things. The each sat back and realized that I saw the world differently. And they used that knowledge to allow me to learn to my potential. To many teachers, especially these days, seem to teach more toward passing tests, than learning. I learned different aspects of life from these 4 gentleman, things I share with others everyday...Mr Ball opened the door to computers and math, that I never even knew I liked. Mr. Friedmann help me realize, not everyone speaks english...I now speak 6 languages. And Mr. Zinnecker helped me realize, that no matter how creative, or obscure, or off the wall I make things, someone out there will enjoy it. All these things still stay true today, and have molded me into the person I am.

Sam Demmerle also chose to salute a number of fine professionals:

My junior year of high school Mrs. Bosse [showed us] how to write a good paper. To this day, I still believe she taught me the tools and techniques to write analytically and the proper way to close-read a text. She is a fascinating educator and [I] loved the discussions she would direct in class. She inspired me to be an English major. I remember how she challenged my thesis on my literary analysis of Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" and instead of changing my idea, I pushed myself to prove her wrong and I got a 198/200 (I lost points for grammar mistakes) on the final draft. If I had listened to her suggestion, I wouldn't be such an opinionated writer/analyst now.

I would continue to list every teacher who has ever made an impact on me (you Mr. Viall, Ms. Weill [now Mrs. Chast], Mrs. Jamison, Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Lail, Mr. Maegly, etc.) but the list would be quite lengthy for a Facebook comment.

Matt Mouser, who posted earlier this week, posted again and mentioned the kind of subtle touch that made one teacher memorable:  "At the end of the 6th grade year Mrs. Emden made me a bookmark that said "Matt, To my champion joke teller. Have a great summer and always do your best!". She was probably the nicest teacher I ever had."

For today the final words go to Shawn Richardson, who weighed in exactly the way I thought most students would. You see, real young men and women, who sit in real classrooms all across this land, they know that what matters in education goes far beyond simple testing. Shawn reports that three of his ex-coaches have turned into "great friends," Mike Rich, Dave Evans and Denny Johnson. "All have been to my house to play cards, we go golfing, go out of town to sporting events, [and they] come to my wedding and just flat out care on how I'm doing and are there if I need them."

He's talking about "teachers that stay in 1 community for 30 years even if they didn't go to high school there [and] were so committed to the schools and the students that they live there[,] that is what makes a teacher."

How do you measure all that teachers actually do?

P. S.:   A brief note about that "incident" Elaina mentions. In eighth grade she piled a tall stack of her books atop her desk one day, before class started, and the weight (she was a good student and so carrying some serious baggage) tipped it as suddenly as a trap door sprung on a gallows.

Unfortunately, the front edge of the top struck a young man (who if memory serves was trying to flirt with her) directly in the shin. At first we thought it might have broken his leg; but once it became clear he was fine, Elaina seemed mortified.  So, to make her feel better I began accusing her of trying to assassinate the poor fellow.

Why Teaching Matters: What's the Square Root of Inspiration? Part 4

What teacher taught
Matt Mouser about art?

I've been asking former students, via Facebook, to tell me about teachers who made a real difference in their lives. 

I'm happy to say, response has been great.

So let me give you a little background on why this subject interests me. 

Currently the BIG idea in American education is to "fix" what's wrong with schools by creating all kinds of standardized tests and then tie teachers' pay to results.

Unfortunately, most proponents of this approach have taught only briefly, or have never taught at all.  And in their ignorance they are taking us down a dangerous path.  Of course, schools in this country could be better (but so could doctors' offices, day care centers and roofing companies, to name a few). 

My fear, howerver, is elemental.  I believe current leaders in education are leading us right over the cliff.

Here, for example, are a few facets of education that cannot be measured.  Does that mean they aren't important?  Are we really going to focus on test scores and imagine that that is all there ever is to learning?  I was a history teacher--but I'm fairly certain former students would tell you they did more writing in my class than almost any other.  But the ability to write with style is never going to be measured on a standardized social studies test.  Techinically, in this new Age of the Testing Fix, that means any time I spent trying to help students perfect their writing style was wasted.

It's a god awful way to "improve" education.

In my class we did a number of debates and all kinds of what I called "skits," on various topics.  I still remember a young man named Derek Vormwald, in a skit about George Washington and his army during the American Revolution.  Derek managed to use the two doors to my classroom to play two characters, exiting and entering as required, in a brilliant display of creative thinking.  Part of the time he was "Martha Washington," complete with falsetto voice and ratty-looking red wig.  Then he would exit and return in the role of a new recruit to the Continental Army.  Skits like these were meant to last for entire periods; and students did almost all the talking and all the thinking.  They had to learn material in great depth, had to learn to speak in front of an audience, and hundreds of students told me how much fun they had, participating and watching.  But debate skills, the ability to speak to an audience, fostering a love for learning, none of that can be "measured."

It's like trying to "measure" art.

Indeed, we had outstanding art teachers at Loveland Middle School (Barb Rockwood, Bethany Federman and Diane Sullivan, among others).  I often looked at student work, posted on bulletin boards in our halls, and marveled at what they had kids doing. 

We had a brilliant band director, too, Bruce Maegly.  He sent dozens of musicians on to the professional ranks.  How do you "measure" that?

Then there was my good friend, Jeff Sharpless, also a history teacher, who came up with the idea for a comic play based on Homer's Iliad (Achilles, Hector, Paris, Helen of Troy--and then he threw in Jessica Simpson).  There wasn't going to be a question on any standardized test about this.  But every year he got fifty kids involved as artists, actors and singers.  Jeff had played in a rock band during his youth.  So he created the songs for the play, including "We all Live in a City Known as Troy," performed to the tune of "Yellow Submarine."

Students loved performing and Jeff stayed late after school, twenty-five or thirty days each year, to make it work.  That can't be "measured" either.

It worries me--all this talk about standardized testing.  So, I've been asking former students to tell me about teachers who made a difference.  (I don't believe, twenty-five years from now--or a hundred--that other young men and women will be looking back fondly and saying, "Yes, I loved Mr. Johnson, because he focused on standardized test prep.")

Here, then, are memories students shared this week (and more to come).  William Ladd is up first for today:

I feel that I must weigh in on this anyway, because my comments will reflect on the not so [often] mentioned world of L.D. teachers, “teachees“, and teaching. I am very qualified to remark on this subject as I was an L.D. student with behavioral problems. I have had much time, expense, and effort put into my education. There are some who might believe this effort was a waste. It is to those people that I must protest. Although I did in fact “drop out” I have since paid “penance.” I served the Army, earned the G.I. Bill as a result. After Serving in the Army I studied at Southern State Community Collage and earned a Associates Degree in Electronics W/ Robotics Emphasis. I graduated with a 3.94 GPA thus earning Honors. This most likely would not have been possible for me with out my participating in L.D. programs. One teacher who stands out for me was Ms. Dee Ross (she has since been married). Although over time I have lost touch with her I still consider her my mentor (along with others). She taught me L.D. English, spelling (an area I must admit that I am still weak), and Mathematics. Aside from this she taught me respect (Not on a standardized test) and generally speaking she taught me how to carry myself through life (also not on a standardized test).

Ms. Ross did in fact marry, and as Mrs. Zaenglein, continued to do excellent work as a third grade teacher in Loveland for many years.

Tina Lee Coffinbarger "liked" William's post, another vote, in the Facebook world, for Ms. Ross.  Then Steve Glass added another comment.  Steve remembers getting swatted, unfortunately, but agrees with William whole-heartedly:  "Mr. Battle,Mr. Viall, and Coach Rich made a big impact on me when I would get in trouble and got lifted off the ground about six inches. I would say that was a big impact... Miss Ross was a very great teacher and caring."

Great and caring?  Can't be measured on a standardized test.

In fact, most of what matters in schools can't be tested.  Mr. Battle has aleady been mentioned in an earlier post, after he stepped in to help a young lady with a serious eating disorder.  And Coach Rich could get the best out of athletes in every sport he ever set his hand and heart to, from seventh and eighth grade football to wrestling and even, one year, girls' volleyball.  You wonder.  Does it matter if you teach kids to dig deep inside and never quit on a court or a field or in life?

I believe it does.

Annie Taylor, a star student in my class, and a 2007 Loveland High School graduate, reached back to elementary school for inspiration: 

Mrs. Kroncke from 6th grade... I will never forget her..... She made learning fun and she had the kindest heart... Even when the worst kids acted out and were so uncalled for and rude, she reached out to them. Also Mr. Zinnecker in high school... He made class a blast and had hilarious sarcasm. I loved them and will never forget them, along with u Mr. Viall !!

Lisa Brown dug even deeper:

There is an elementary teachers that I have the upmost respect for...Mrs. Walker, she helped me get through first grade. Everyone in my class didn't expect me to return to school after a bus accident I was in. I remember that day as if it was yesterday. School was dismissed early due to weather conditions. We had a substitute bus driver that day. I had slipped on the snow and ice and went under the bus. The bus driver thought I had already crossed in front of the bus, but when he went to pull away from my house, the back wheels ran my legs over, between my knees and ankles. I was very lucky that the snow had cushioned my legs. I couldn't walk for about a month unassisted by crutches. Mrs. Walker had came to my house to bring me my assignments and to tutor me on her own time. She didn't have to but she did, she went beyond her duties to ensure that I could stay caught up with the rest of the class. She was an amazing teacher.

Vicki Leroy and Ambie Hice "liked" Lisa's post; then Vicki went back farther still to mention an educator who had a lasting influence: "Kindergarten--Mrs. Poe--pointed out to my mom that I had 'leadership' qualities. My mom says she thinks it was a nice way of saying I was bossy (like I didn't get that quality honestly, Mom)."

Ms. Leroy had more good to say about teachers; but I'll save her comments and others for another day, note that I too discoverd in seventh grade that she had leadership qualities, and end with what Matt Mouser's has to say.

He remembers, for example, the moment he learned he'd never be a carpenter:

One time Mr. ----- yelled something to me I will never forget and it changed me forever. From one side of the room to the other he yelled to me "WHAT THE HELLS THE MATTER WITH YOU!! ARE YOU SOME KINDA GOD DAMNED IDIOT!!" I'll never forget that....we were close like that. I haven't built a shelf since.

Then he added:  "In all seriousness Mr. Viall...Mrs. Reynolds always told me she believed in me. I am the artist I am today because of her."

Ruth Herzog "liked" Matt's comment and added her own thoughts, but, again, for we'll leave it at that for today.  Teachers can have a negative impact--but most of the educators I ever met were having a positive impact, often in subtle ways.

You can't measure that.

Why Teaching Matters: What's the Square Root of Inspiration? Part 3

I don't know how many readers of this blog have seen the movie Waiting for Superman; but if you haven't let me save you the time and give you the plot outline for the film:

Scene One:  America's public schools suck.

Scene Two:  America's public schools suck really bad.

Scene Three:  And they suck because America's public school teachers suck. 

                                                                                                                  THE END

(I've heard it's Governor John Kasich's favorite movie, by the way; but that might be nothing more than an ugly rumor.)

It's funny, though.  I worked for 33 years in the public schools and most of the teachers I worked with were dedicated professionals.  That doesn't mean most of us walked on water or deserved to have our careers immortalized in Hollywood film. 

But I do have a theory:  I believe teachers come in all the same varieties as movie producers, political figures, and plumbers.  Some good.  Some middling.  Some not so good.

(Yes, Governor, I mean you.)

At any rate, last week I asked former students, via Facebook, to comment on teachers who made a difference in their lives.  This is Part 3 of a series.

Scott Everett, a young man I well remember for his outstanding work ethic in seventh and eighth grades, went on to study zoology at Miami University.  He remembers several fine educators from his Loveland school days:

In high school I came down with mono and was stuck at home sick and barely able to get out of bed for over 3 weeks. Mr. Wagner (Advanced Chemistry and Physics) and Mr. Bivens (Calculus) actually came to my house several times during that period and went through all the material with me so I wouldn't fall behind. And of course there's Mr. Maegly [Loveland Middle School band director]. The quality of musicianship he was able to get out of us wild & crazy 7th-8th graders was amazing, and routinely outshone even the high school band. After all these years a bit of Mr. M still comes out every time I strap on my guitar and crank it up.

Jessica Maxfield, second from left.

Jessica Maxfield, who now makes music a career, and lectures at Northwestern University, agrees. 

She's working on comments about Mr. Maegly and I'll add them when she finishes.



Mandi Vargo, also a Loveland graduate, now teaching chemistry at East Feliciana High School in Louisiana, posted her thoughts:

"While I don't agree with everything you say [on your blog] Mr. Viall, I really love reading what you have to say about education."

What???  The young Jedi doubts Yoda!  Well, I forgive her.  She was a wonderful young lady to have in class, and something tells me she's another fine teacher.

So:  Ms. Vargo continues:

My most memorable teachers from Loveland definitely include the cast of characters already mentioned. I loved your class Mr. Viall, you made history (by far my least favorite subject) fun and interesting. I also remember how you always treated everyone the same. I don't think I realized it at the time, but as a teacher myself now, I try and live up to that standard with my own students. I also distinctly remember Mr. Ball and his endless patience. I went through a bit (understatement) of a whiney phase in the 7th grade and he never once showed frustration at my endless monologue of “But Mr. Ball, I dooooonnnn’tttt geeeetttttt ittttttttttt!” Mr. Miller was also an amazing influence on my gooney preteen years. He was wonderful at building up a student’s confidence. It’s amazing how much you appreciate your former teachers when you step into those shoes yourself! I hope I can have half the impact on my students that my teachers had on me.

I didn't want to use what students said about me, but Ms. Vargo mixed her praise altogther.  And SirSam Benzinger had a few kind words to add--and I should note that he helped me raise a lot of money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation this spring (Sam is a good man, and worked his buns off for JDRF, and "blames" me for his interest in government.)

Then Deana Callahan Willisch weighed in from a point of view so unusual, I had to include what she offered. This one goes way back, to a time when corporal punishment was still used in the schools.

(I feel like a dinosaur.)

Ms. Willisch writes:

I have to agree with SirSamuel - it would have to be you. If you remember the infamous swatting of a classmate for snapping my bra strap in your class….I had been bullied all my years at Loveland in one form or another (mostly mentally and emotionally, but sometimes physically). When you stood up for me (and took back order in your classroom by reminding the students that there are consequences to bad behavior), it was really the first time a teacher had ever done so in response to my tormenters.

You were so obviously angry at not only the disruption of your lesson but at the sheer injustice of the unwarranted and unprovoked act against me, and you promptly marched that student out into the hallway and delivered justice.

It was at that moment that my mindset changed from "I am a loser who deserves to be treated this way" to "I am just as worthy and important as anyone else in this school."

Education is a funny business, I think you can say, as complex and hard to "measure" as life itself. So, if standing up for Deana helped her, I'm happy.  And I hope I didn't ruin that other boy's life, the young man who pulled her bra strap and got swatted.

And I'm not an advocate of corporal punishment today, in any way.

Meanwhile, Zach Goyer, jumped into the conversation and added a fresh name to the mix: "What about Mr. Damewood?" he wondered.  "He was an awesome teacher, and the assignments he gave us weren't only related to English, but also helped with skills that I use now in college such as how to properly write a research paper. Plus he would always try to keep us on top of current events, and the books he had for us were always amazing."

Jonathan Davis, now a Loveland High School senior, concurred:  "I agree Mr. Damewood is an awesome teacher. English has been great this year even though I normally dislike it."  I asked Jonathan to add a few details and he came back with this:

Mr. Damewood always keeps us entertained in English class by just doing different things. one day we had a book talk about bees so he brought in his beekeeper suit and explained how you get the honey out and everything. when we have reading assignments he likes to point out stuff that we didn't realize that makes us laugh. whenever we seem bored he'll just make a few jokes then go back to class work.

Working at Loveland Middle School for more than three decades, I heard young students talk about elementary teachers they loved and then heard former students come back and tell me which high school teachers they most admired. 

I wasn't living in some fantasy land.  Don't get me wrong.

I know there are bad teachers out there, just as there are bad car mechanics and stock brokers and horse wranglers, too, I suppose.  But we need to remember there are plenty of good ones, a simple truth that seems forgotten today. 

Eric Bauer, a top student when I had him in eighth grade, and now a senior at LHS, had this to say:

Mr. Wagner has been an amazing teacher for me. I was privileged enough to have him for AP Physics. The first day he asked all of us what we wondered about. The most common replies were silence or "I don't know". Boy did he fix that. He showed us countless demonstrations and asked many us all questions on why things happen. He also accepted any question of ours and answered it to the best of his knowledge (which is quite considerable).

He taught us an amazing amount. Not only did we learn mechanics, electrostatics, and thermodynamics but he taught us how to think abstractly. In that classroom we were fledgling college students for 90 minutes. In the first quarter I struggled quite a bit but once I got into the swing of things I was able to enjoy and learn the units very well. Thanks to his class I am currently acing AP Chemistry (the hardest class in the school!) and independently studying circuitry.

Mr. Wagner has been good in the classroom for a very, very long time; and Cheri King, a dedicated sixth-grade teacher for Loveland today, remembers Mr. Wagner just as fondly as Eric, though from the perspective of an earlier generation:

Mr. Wagner - I was his student near the beginning of his career. Although I was not a talented science student, I remember his enthusiastic approach to teaching, making every minute of class meaningful.

When I became a math teacher, after completing a music degree, I used Mr. Wagner as a role model for how I approached teaching. He was highly prepared for class and was always looking to fine-tune his work. He kept careful class notes as evidenced by the giant notecards stacked on his lab table. When needed, he added notes to himself on ideas inspired from class. If there was a “fool proof” method to make a lesson more effective, Mr. Wagner was going to find it. (He did, however, chuckle on occasion that this might be the one unachievable task - but it didn’t stop him from trying.)

Mr. Wagner seemed to be as interested in helping his students - teenagers - learn more than just science facts. We learned how scientists really conduct their research, make discoveries, and learn from their mistakes. If Mr. Wagner’s demonstrations went awry - no problem. This turned into an opportunity for him to invoke one of his mantras at the time: If it’s worth doing; it’s worth doing right. The learning experience was of primary importance. Giving up was not an option. Observing, analyzing, hypothesizing, and finding a solution was the path to take.

Mr. Wagner knew how to make science relevant and accessible to all students. He was caring and encouraging toward his students. He set high expectations for everyone. Critical thinking, thoughtful ideas, and questions were always encouraged. It’s not surprising that he’s still a well-loved teacher today, over 40 years into his career. 

I suppose Susanne Beaudoin should have the final say. She remembers a number of educators fondly, for the very kind of reasons that are an immeaurable, in the end, but offer the best evidence of what good teachers actually do:

I would have to say Mr. Folzenlogen. Just for the fact that he helped to set me on the path to being an artist. He helped get my art recognized and showed me that being in the art club did NOT make you a nerd. Then there was you. You showed me that history was a truly awesome subject when presented the right way. (I graduated college 4 hours shy of a history minor. You also helped encourage my writing and artistic side. And there was Mr. Still [who taught industrial arts for several years at Loveland Middle School]. I got a deck chair that is STILL in my yard today! In his class, girls with power tools that knew what they were doing were COOL! (between him and my dad, I learned enough to paint my walls, tile my floors and fix about anything!) I also need to mention: Mrs. Dyson, Mrs. Reynolds and Herr Friedmann. Thanks Guys!

 So, yes.  I'm no fan of standardized testing--and I think you'll notice that what real students remember, looking back on days spent in school, has nothing to do with standardized anything. In the end, education is about the teacher who inspire a love for learning.

I'd like to know how education experts (who never teach) and politicians (who only preach) think we can go about measuring any of what these students say.