Share Your Story About a Teacher Who Makes A Difference For a Chance to Win a $250 Borders Gift Certificate

This is a great promotion. I am looking forward to reading some of the greatest stories.

I had a teacher in high school, His name was Chief Reed...he was ROTC teacher. My freshman year of high school i had a terrible fear of guns, we went on a field trip to the National Guard Armory (which I later joined after graduation with his encouragement) and got to shoot M-16 and learn how to field strip the M-16. Later that year he asked me to join Rifle Team, I had more fun and more encouragement in his class than in any of my other classes. He was like another grandparent that I could go to if something was wrong, when i was 16 my grandfather, who had lived with my family and me since my grandmother had passed was asked to move out due to the fact that he wouldnt quit drinking, I remember that after he moved out I was very upset, I was supposed to help train the new cadets for two weeks and almost the entire time Chief would sit and talk to me, he kept me out of a lot of trouble and helped me to find myself and my way...I always hoped that I showed my appreciation to him and that he always knew that he was a very special and loved teacher. He made a promise to me at the end of my freshman in high school, he was due to retire at the end of my sophmore year, but because of how i was in school he promised that he wouldnt retire until he saw me graduate, and guess what, he made sure I graduated from high school and he came to my graduation party, it was sad to say goodbye to him, but he was also very proud of me and he made sure that he showed that and encouraged me to follow my own beat of the drum. He was a Perfect teacher, and I'm always Proud to saw he was my MENTOR.

One of my teachers from highschool was an inspiration because he took the students seriously as public intellectuals. He not only taught students history and current events; he also taught us how to engage politically and how to be active in current events. We learned how to research in scholarly and news journals, and we learned public speaking and debate. Most memorable for me was preparing for and participating in the Model United Nations. Most important for me, however, was that we were not merely taught a subject, but were schooled in how to be active participants in our society. Good teachers breathe life into the subjects they love; excellent teachers further help realize the greatest potential in the students they teach. Mr. Ramsdell was an excellent teacher. He was one of my role models in my choosing to become an educator.

I am 22 years old and to this day i have not forgotten my first grade teacher. In elementary school i was a perfectionist who got horrible headaches. For a while they thought it was migraines, then they thought i was giving myself the headaches with all the pressure i was putting on myself. Years later we found out it was TMJ that had probably been causing the headaches all along. While i was in her class i remember us all loving her because she cared so much. She didnt change my life until the next year. My father and I ran into her half way through second grade at Wendy's. She asked all about my headaches and then asked to take me out. She thought at the time it would help me calm down since they thought at this time that the headaches were given by me. I spent all day with her we went out to eat, and i got to go to her house and her daughter gave me a teddy bear which i named after her (daughter). I had that bear until i was a sophomore in high school when i took it to a hotel with me because i was going to grandpa's funereal and they took it while cleaning. She taught me what it means to truly care about a student and how much going the extra mile can help.

My favorite teacher was a very strict World History teacher I had in 10th grade! She started the class with the pre-historic drawings in the caves and ended with the current affairs of my time.

She taught that world events happend like cycles and what was strong in those days (like strict censorship of movies) would one day be gone and anything would be shown but that very gradually the wheel would "turn" and the censorship would be back as a "new thing"!

She said she felt that Russia would NOT be our enemy forever and might end up being a friend (this during the COLD WAR) and that Russia and China would keep each other in check for years to come.

I was among the top students in the class and we all were almost like a club where we worked out questions together and often discussions in the class would be amongst us.

Once there were four of us in a row and we had a pop quiz that we didn't know about--we all agreed to help each other. Mrs Armstrong called us up to her desk as a group and taked to us both as a group and later individually. She told us that it was bad enough to cheat but for top students to cheat was to cheat ourself! She really made us feel ashamed of what we'd done! I told her how I'd never done it before and never again thanks to her talking to us. I have never cheated at anything since then.

She also taught us that "knowing" information isn't always so important as knowing "where to find it". She taught us how to get information from our library, how to use the card file, and the different systems and books that held the answer to anything we'd ever need. (THIS WAS BEFORE COMPUTERS) but mostly she taught us never to be afraid to ASK and SEEK answers! and that has helped me into my Social Security age!

She taught us to try to learn something NEW every day and to never close our mind to anything new. We learned to keep open minds and to look at things from all angles BEFORE making an opinion. She TAUGHT us to respect and revere every Religion and race of people on earth. She taught us to LOVE LEARNING!

That is why she is a teacher that I will never forget. The very sad thing is she retired early when students began taking weapons to school and the future students of that great "new" (four years old) school that I attended lost her knowledge and wisdoms!

I was fortunate in my elementary education. I attended Seventy-First Elementary School in Fayetteville, North Carolina and I had some of the best teachers that could be offered. But the one teacher who has had the greatest impact on my life was Mrs. Patricia Dunning. She was my sixth grade teacher in a 5th and 6th grade combination class. I can remember being worried over the summer before I started the sixth grade that I would get her for my teacher. She had a reputation for being tough. But then I was put into her class and I learned so much. I learned things in that class that I still use today. There has never been a teacher before or since that I learned more from or think more of, including college. She crosses my mind often even now, and I am almost forty. To say that I am grateful for having to have known someone so special and gifted as she is the greatest understatement that could ever be made. I do not know where she is now, but if she is teaching, then I guarantee there are students that learning things, practical lessons, that they will carry with them for the rest of there lives.

shouldn't these be redone as articles per the above instructions?
Also what is the cut-off date?

Iam going to paste my article hear just to be certain that it is accepted.


I am a fifteen almost sixteen year old girl and my mom is a substitute teacher in EMS, Liverpool, and JD districts and is patiently waiting for a fulltime teaching position and for her own classroom. My mom and I have always had a very unique relationship that goes beyond the already very strong bond between a mother and her daughter. We are also friends, and by that I am not referring to the relationships that girls on lifetime have where the mothers try so hard to obtain their daughter's friendship that they completely loose sight of the best intentions for thier daughters or even sons. My mom and I are different. My mom worked in financing for a number of years before she decided to make the very brave decision to take a new spin on her life and work to try to do something that she has always wanted to do. Help people. My mom is so caring and knowledgable about so many different things that I am glad she is a teacher. She is going to touch the lives of so many more people and make such a positive difference. She has already touched the lives of many children or students while she was subbing. I can't go into much detail because of privacy reasons but I know for a fact that a life was saved and it was all because of her. She literally saved someone's life. If she can do that with only a day or two of subbing then imagine all the children she can help if she had her own classroom. She has not only taught kids that she subs for but she taught me many things that teachers failed to teach. In second grade my teacher sent home some homework that had double digit subtracting that you had to borrow numbers on. We had not learned this in class and I had no idea how to do it so I asked my mom for help and she explained it to me and I was able to grasp the concept very quickly. Aside from subtracting she has taught me manners and helped make me the person that I am today which is a person who can stand up for themselves without being obnoxious or violent. I am an intelligent person with a great sense of humor and I am one of the few teenagers who actually has a good self esteem. I pride my mom with that. She ahs made me who I am today with her loving and compassionate ways. Not only has she done all of that but she helps me and my sister deal with our teenage girl issues. Our friends are either being melodramatic or there is some sort of stupid drama and we both know that we can talk to her about it. All of it. She will sit there and let us vent as much as we need to and let us get it off of our chests. I have even had a few experiences where she talks to my friends and helps them to feel better. Once I had a halloween party and thing were said and one of my friends was crying. My mom was able to make her stop and feel better. She let my friend vent and everything which made me very proud of her when I came into the room a while after to witness this occuring. She has taught me to be healthy in ever sense of the word. I am proud to say that I am and plan on being throughout my high school career a virgin. I am proud of that and I know that it's not always easy to say that in a group of people and be proud of it but I am. I also have never in my entire life smoked one single cigarrette or any drugs at all outside perhaps an occasional tylenol. She is a very openminded intelligent person who deserves her own classroom. That is part of the reason I am writing this. I won't lie to you the $250 that I could spend at borders would be amazing and I would be estatic if I won. But mainly I am hoping that someone important or someone with the power to do something will read this and give my mom a teaching job. Out of anyone that I know she is the one who deserves a job to help people. Because that has always been her dream and it would mean so much tome if it would come true. It would meen even more if it came true because of this and because of me. She does so much for me that I want to repay her in some way but I have nothing of equal value. So I am going to try to do something through this. I know through this article you have heard all the wonderful things about my mom and I will admit that she can sometimes loose her temper and sometimes get frustrated with different things but at the end of the day she is still the best health teacher, reform teacher, math teacher, spanish teacher, study buddy, friend, and overall teacher that I have ever had or ever will have.


Thank you for reading it is very approitiated!

Miss Wanda B. Mitchell taught English composition and made it interesting and enjoyable. What more could be asked of a teacher? I had only one class with this extraordinary woman but I've never forgotten her or how she made sense of our very complicated and often puzzling language. She even made the often bewildering diagraming of sentences into a logical and fun process!

I was so impressed by the impact Miss Mitchell had on our class, that I went on to major in English Literature in college and planned on becomming an high school teacher of English. But, to further my education I needed money so I began teaching in an elementary school and enjoyed it so much that I spent thirty-seven years teaching fourth through sixth grade. During every one of those years I tried to emulate Miss Mitchell and make my lessons interesting, educatinal and fun! For every groan of disappointment my students voiced when the bell rang to end the class, I mentally thanked Miss Mitchell.

I actually have 2 favorite teachers; one from elementary school and one from college. One was my Language Arts teacher from elementary school, Mr. Tom Murray. The other was a reading professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She has since passed away due to cancer but her name was Dr. Jean Winsand. Mr. Murray really knew his stuff. He had 4th and 5th graders writing reports with footnotes and bibliographies! He made us practice diagramming sentences over and over and over. But all of the hard work he made us do paid off. In high school, all of the students from my elementary school were placed in Advanced English and writing courses. I touched base with some of these friends in college and they continued as I did to be strong writers. Many of us proof read and tutored others and we could all write themes easily getting an A sometimes without a draft! I know it was because of Mr. Murray. When I became a teacher, I had to do some observing and I went back to observe him. I told him that he was the best teacher I ever had. He blushed somewhat and said he was glad to see me again. Not only was he a great teacher but a good role model. He was professional, tough but compassionate. It was obvious that he loved what he did.
Dr. Jean Winsand was very special. When she taught young student teachers, it didn't seem like she was teaching us. She talked to us about great authors and why they were great. There never was a right or wrong answer; this gave us the opportunity to grow in so many ways. The course I took that she taught was about how authors write to engage readers. I never was much of a reader but in her class I voluntarily chose to read several novels some that were 800 pages. She taught me that how an author writes has a great impact on the reader and learner. Furthermore, knowing and understanding this information would place great responsibility in my hands as a teacher in my choices of materials and books that I read and teach to my students. I will never forget this remarkable woman who made a lasting impression upon me.

The most important teacher in my life has been Mr. Myatt. He was a visually challenged teacher who taught sciences in high school. While he was teaching, he also taught each of us so much about ourselves and who we wanted to be. I showed up in school the minimum amount and stayed at home - socially challenged and bored. My family was poor, the schoolmates made fun of my wearing the same few clothes and of my disfigured teeth. When I met Mr Myatt I realized there were far greater challenges - not just because he was excelling despite his own challenges - but because he reached out to each of us and made us want to be there and be a part of something greater than ourselves. We also managed to excel at science in the meantime.
Mr Myatt was in charge of the school talent show and asked me to assist him. I'm sure he asked me because he figured I needed it. To this day I don't know what I did to assist because I was mostly in awe but he seemed to feel my opinions and work was important. He helped all of us volunteer as counselors for a summer camp for physically and mentally challenged kids. Mr Myatt taught us that we can do things we didn't even dream about before and that challenges are something that we should love to take on.
I've gone on to love every challenge, confidently speak to hundreds when I previously thought I would die from it (that was the biggest challenge for me) but my last challenge is to overcome the fear of going back to school in my middle age so I can be a teacher too. If I have even a fraction of the talent Mr Myatt had for helping kids grow and become - that's what I want to do.

I barely remeber her. She was my fifth grade English teacher in Ashaffenburg Germany. We just arrived from Hawaii to a completely foreign land and culture and I was lost. Dad being military we had no choice but to go with him. The first two quarters of the school year was gone and I was having problems adjusting, nightmares about not being able to find my house, really scary things for a small kid. Didn't think I could fit in. One day she stood up in front of the whole class and told us she lost her grade book(whew!) and needed to have us do a ton of work again. Well, the first time I didn't fare well and was failing miserably. However when she handed out the new work, I found that I knew this. Apparently, something had stuck in my giant brain. From a guaranteed 'F' I went to a B+ student. It was the first moment in my life that I found out I was good at something. I never had bad English grades after that and it inspired me to love reading. I will never forget her, ever.

Kindergarten is tough...especially when you're 5. When I started kindergarten, 28 years ago, it was scarry. "Will I make new friends?", " Will I miss my mommy?" Mrs. Smith was the kindest person I have ever met! She was a young teacher, just out of college, but she sure knew how to be a mother "duck" to all of us little "ducklings." With a smile on her face, and love in her heart, I grew to love school, and I didn't miss my mommy. She took away all of our worries and school was so much fun!

I can remember playing school at recess and at home with my little brother. I knew at that very young age that I wanted to be a teacher too, just like Mrs. Smith. Today, I am a teacher. I teach kindergarten just like Mrs. Smith. She is my inspiration, and I am now the mother duck to all of my little ducklings.

The most important teacher to me has been Mr. Varn. He has been a band director for a number of years and has given countless amounts of effort, and hours into the program. All of his efforts have gone to making our band and orchestra one of the best in the state. He rarely gets serious recognition for what he does though, because people rarely understand how much he really puts into it. He's the teacher that made me want to major in music. He's been a large inspiration to me, and I would love to be able to give something back. The program he heads up for the band and the orchestra doesn't run on a sizeable budget to say the least. I decided to enter this contest so that if I win the gift card I can give it to him so that he can see that the students really do appreciate everything that he's done. He makes everything fun, and he points out our errors in a way thats managed to help us become even better musicians.

Mr. Ober was one of my favorite teachers. I took his class are few times, Algebra (my WORST subject) but I didn't mind going because of him. He had a voice that never realy changed pitch. He would tell a joke just to see who was actually listening to him. He didn't care who fell asleep in class, as long as they turned in their homework and passes their tests. He never lost his temper. He felt that, if you wanted to pass then you would show your work. He was also there for people like me who didn't understand and would help as long as they were willing to work for it. He earned my respect, and as a teen that is hard to do. I will never forget him. He was an excellent teacher.

It was 1972, and Mr. Peter Ripin was different than all the other kindergarten teachers. Not only was he one of the only male teachers in my elementary school, but he just talked and thought differently. Instead of following the public school curriculum in lock step, Mr. Ripin go to know what would make his students laugh, love coming to school every day, and LEARN. I remember him telling my mom that I loved to write, so he got me a volunteer who helped me with a private writing session that I appreciate to this day. He somehow got a store to donate rolls of extra wallpaper, and we wrote book after book and "bound them" with the coolest, funkiest wallpaper covers - making them special and coveted. The old school building had lots of nooks and crannies, and he converted a little-kid sized hole in the wall cut out for pipe access into a "cave" labeled "Me, Myself and I" when you just needed a little alone/down time... beats today's time out chairs. He was a little unconventional and very creative, and shaped my school and professional careers by teaching me to think out of the box, to not follow in lock step, and to even question authority and be your own person. Mr. Ripin was a teacher that wasn't afraid to take chances and advocate for what he thought was right for his students, and that's a lesson beyond the textbook that all kids should learn from their teachers. Thank you, Mr. Ripin!

Are you people for real? I mean seriously... did you read the article? Apparently not.

I have to wonder as to the capabilities of the teachers you are lauding in the comment section given you cannot follow simple instructions.

I was thinking the same thing, Lori!

In my humble opinion, there is not one individual teacher that made a difference in my life. I look back all way to the beginning of school, and my first / second grade teacher was a gem. We had each teacher 2 years in a row through the 6th grade. She cared so very much about each indivudual child. In those days it was not uncommon to go spend the weekend at a teachers home. Every one of my elementary school teachers left such an impact on me. I can remember every face and every smile of them all. I could go through each teacher and say how impacted my life it would take much more room here than anyone would want to read.

There is one teacher that was not my elementary or high school teacher she was a college professor who just so happens to be my best friend in the entire world. She has made such an impression that I will never ever forget her. Her name is Diane Thomas (or MRS T) as she is so affectionately called by every one that knows her, student or not. She came into my life at a time when I needed her most. She has touched my heart and left me with more than I could ever give back. I never knew I had any talent or gift until she came along. She was my English professor, what a great lady.
I want to pay tribute to every teacher that touched my life.
Thank you and God Bless all of you.

My favorite teacher was my seventh and eighth grade teacher - Mr. Alan Rubel. I went to school in the South Bronx, NY in the late '60's and '70's when the Bronx was burning. My middle school was the worse school in NYC - our stats were dismal. More than 90% of the school was reading at least one grade below reading level and the math scores were even worse. The school had a history of violence and I was very scared to attend. My parents explained that I had no choice since they did not have money to send me a private school. The school was about two years old and had a terrible reputation.

Mr. Rubel was my homeroom and social studies teacher. He felt that we should be exposed to all the wonderful things available to us in NYC. Mr. Rubel took us to many of the great museums in NYC, ice skating (for the majority of us the first time we had been on skates), Statue of Liberty (again a first for many of us) and to Central Park in the Spring. The prinicpal and many of the parents were not happy because they felt why isn't he teaching these kids - three field trips a week is too many. How are these outings going to help these children read and write...

Many of us were children of broken and dyfuncational families we did not go on the weekend to Coney Island to ride the Cyclone. Others of us - our parents and families just did not have the money or the transportation to go to the Bronx or Central Park Zoo. I am not sure if any of our parents would have taken us to a bird refuge... Jamaica Bay Refuge to see nature at work. Mr. Rubel said we needed to see these places and experience a different side of NYC.

Today, I realize that my love of museums, history and learning were seeds planted by this incredible teacher. We were not underprivileged - we were underserved. Mr. Rubel would be happy to know that quite a few of his students went on to graduate from prestige colleges and universities.

At times many teachers working in inner city classrooms feel they are not making a difference - it would surprise them to know they are. Mr. Rubel bucked the system and I am glad he did!

My favorite teacher was Sister Ellen Casey. I went to a small grammer catholic school in the suburbs of NJ. She made me feel like I could be someone. That I was someone! That my opinions mattered. I grew up in a strict Irish catholic home where children should been seen and not heard. This person encouraged me to write in journals, she gave me reading list taiored to my likes. My mother was overwhelmed as a mother and never took the time to get to know me. This woman did.

And still they continue...

*bangs head on keyboard*

I'd love to have some of Seattle's best , but even better thatn Starbucks and Seattle's Best is the Market Spice Orange-- once you drink that, you never forget it. And you add in a nice salmon for me off Pike Street Market with some shrimp on the side--


oh this calls for a song-- The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle
and the hills the greenest green in Seattle
like a beautiful child, growing up and being wild
full of hopes and full of fears
full of laughter full of tears
full of dreams to last the years
in Seattle


there-- bonafide Seattlelite in Prague. Homesick again--



is your contest open to us nonUS residents? Boy in Anacortes there was the nastiest physiology teacher I ever knew. And then after that the drunken football coach who "taught" biology and after that Mrs Chickpea who hated everybody in my family-- and the list is incredibly long for a town of 6000. There's the math teacher who nearly defenestrated the present town mayor, Dean Maxwell


and the drama teacher who put us all to sleep



oh what can I say, but Annie's Corset was the best place to be
after the strawberry and cucumber fields with the girls wearing bikinis.
Just don't tell me nuthin' about summer in the city
because I grew up pickin' strawberries and singing, "Oh Sweet Pea..."
and sleeping through all my afternoon classes
as they were as boring as could be.


Now that was nice and nostalgic so I should publish it as an article and get some mileage out of it.

the original Seahawks with the purple and white--

My favorite teacher would be Mr.Downham. He was my 11th grade English teacher. I had just moved across the country to a new school and he was so great he had a way of making me feel "at home" at the new school. My teachers back home you were just a student number, but he was so nice and personable. You could tell that he really cared about you as a person.

Everyone, these contest entries will not be accepted unless they are published as articles in the group.

How to Enter:

You must be a member of the Borders group; click here to join the group.

After you've completed the group registration, publish your Teachers Who Make a Difference story by following these steps (multiple entries are allowed):

* Click on the "Publish" tab at the top of any Gather page
* Select "Publish an Article"
* Draft your article. You may include an image in your article
* In the Tag field, you must include the word "teacher"
* In the Who can view my article field, click "Everyone," and also select the "Borders Books" group
* Click "Save"

Indeed, Debra, maybe some people don't. But some clearly do, judging from what they themselves wrote.

Do you think that maybe, possibly, given the way things work around here, there perhaps might be people here on gather who only read the title of an article before they comment? And don't even scan through other people's comments? Could it be that you get more points that way than if you waste your time actually reading through stuff and giving thoughtful comments? Could there perhaps be some selective pressure toward drive-by commenting, as well as toward fluffy, feel-goody or, alternatively, adversarial content?

And I was just going to say LOL. Look at all the time I've just wasted.

Because I went to school in England, relatively soon after world war 2 when lots of professions still had huge gaps, I have to say that most teachers made rather a negative difference. There was one who told me as a 12 year old in front of the whole class: some people want to open the batting for England at cricket, and you want to be a mathematician. It may be that I became one (if not one that bats up front) to spite him

However I asume you are looking for a positive story. So I will nominate Harrison Owen as the greatest teacher I've ever met - be you adult or child - the first time you experience open space done Harrison's way, I bet it changes your life and love of community... http://top10s.tv/_wsn/page3.html http://www.openspaceworld.com

We are publishing a travel guide of life-changing learning methods -mail me chris.macrae @yahoo.co.uk if you have a method to nominate

Bit confused...when I click on Who Can View My Article, "Borders Books" is not an option. Also, if I click on anything else I lose "Everyone". Did I miss something?

When does the contest end? Will the winners be notified via email? How do I know the "judges" have seen my entry?

Thanks so much.

Quite interesting!

Ah yes...my favorite teacher. What if I told you that I had none, how would that fly? Actually, all my teachers were disasters, from the first one whose name I can still remember, Mrs. Bates, to the last, Miss Heath.

All my "instructors" managed to teach me was to hate school and fear the classroom. Because I was ridiculed constantly, one even going so far as calling me an idiot in front the class, might have had something to do with my attitude towards them.

But not everything was horrible. I am eternally gratified that same teacher had to announce to my seventh grade class, after our first Iowa Standards test, "And you'll never guess who scored the second highest I.Q. in the entire seventh grade?"

No, I do not have a favorite teacher, except perhaps myself, and if I had my way I think drawing and quartering the SOBs would become a grammar school ritual.

My oh my...what a great contest idea...I think I will go and PUBLISH an article. I too am curious about the cut off date !!

When I was a child growing up in Brooklyn, New York, my father took me to the circus at Madison Square Garden. It was an all-time first for me and when one of the clowns walked over to talk to us, I somehow got the nerve to ask him, "Why did you become a clown?" His painted-on smiling red lips grew even larger as he exaggerated a burst of laughter, did a somersault and replied, "There was a circus clown I admired as a boy in Ohio. I just knew I had to become a clown like him one day."

No, I did not become a clown, but I quite understand what that funny man meant because I had a high school English teacher who convinced me without realizing it that I had to someday become the kind of teacher Sister Mary Augusta was to her students. I was a sophomore with as much future professional aspirations as a garden bullfrog on a lily pad. I had dreams, sure, but they were about girls and shiny red Galaxy Fords and dancing frenetically to songs of Little Richard. I had no clue what I hoped to be.

Sister Augusta--behind her back we referred to her as "Caesar Augustus," not simply because of her name; she carried herself with the straight-back poise of an emperor, and not a single student in her English class daydreamed or misbehaved. We willingly were her captured audience. We listened as she read Shakespearean excerpts, poems of the old masters, lines from Clifford Odetts's Waiting for Lefty.

Sister Augusta loved the written word! When she stood before us, we knew she wanted to be there. Teaching was a love, not a job. "These writers were flesh and blood, real people, just like us. They had a need to put down on paper the feelings and ideas that lived inside them. These words are their gifts to us. Appreciate them! Love them for the writings they gave us."

Of all the teachers I've ever had, from first grade through my last year in graduate school, Sister Augusta remains at the head of the line in my memory. Way back in 1957 she was the one who handed me the light I would carry into the tunnel. Hopefully I would take with me into my future some of the magic she possessed, that power to teach others to also love the written word, love it enough to want to read it and write it and in time pass that joy on to others.

In this my last teaching year before retirement, I hope I have succeeded in learning those lessons Sister Augusta taught us back there in high school. I would be honored if some of my countless students are now teaching somewhere because the lantern Sister passed on to me I had passed on to them. It would put a smile on my face, one as huge as the clown of my long-ago childhood.

I'm in ... I'll just proof read my article about Father Sulkulski, my algebra teacher and send it via my Gather page.

This is going to be the funniest thread on Gather

...and still going strong.

A link to my article, the one I published after following the directions so clearly outlined above:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976932790

I know, shameless, shameless, shameless self promotion...but what do I have to lose?

Such a great idea for a contest

When does this contest end? Anyone know? I think that this is a great idea for a contest! Educators are one of if not the most important people in society I think...

Not sure when it ends but I just submitted my article :)
I agree somewhat selfishly with The previous comment... I often come across people in college to look down on me because I have chosen to go into the teaching profession. And yet, no one goes to college except through teachers. We have the blessing and the honor to move every child towards their greatest potential. And yet, those now in the university frown on their fellow students who have not chosen carrers with more monitary gains.
I would like to think changing children's lives and being a role model and guide for thousands of individuals in one's lifetime worth more then all the money in the world :)

Remember the kid everyone picked on in grade school? Yup! That was me. I used to try to seclude myself during recess. It just saved a lot of hassles. Sometimes I would take a book out with me and try to sit on the wall to read. Books never taunted me with mean words. Books never made me feel bad or afraid or alone.

I was no saint in response to their bullying. I have a mood disorder that was not diagnosed till I was an adult. My temper was hot and I was impulsive which made for a volatile mix. I probably scared the other kids away as much as they pushed me away. My hair was unkempt to say the least and as a bed wetter who flew out of bed in time to be late every day my hygiene was not outstanding. There wasn't a whole to work with in me.

Up through fourth grade, no one had any idea what to do about my sorry self. Mostly the nuns and other teachers just let me be hoping for the best. Even though I had plenty of friends in the neighborhood I lived in, school friends just weren't a part of my reality. I loved school. I loved learning. I just hated having to go to school with all the other kids. It seemed my social skills were nonexistent. Worst of all, the loneliness I felt in a room full of my peers was overwhelming.

Then came fifth grade, just another year like any other I thought. I had learned to keep my expectations low to avoid bitter disappointments. But this year there was a new teacher, a student doing a teaching internship. She was my teacher. Miss Miller came from the local Catholic college. She was young and pretty and unorthodox and enthusiastic. All the students loved her. We could eat candy and chew gum in class as her rules were rather lax. For no reason we could discern she would decide to do something so "nonstandard." Art class was not of interest to her so she decided we could have gym class outside in the schoolyard instead. Not being an artistically inclined bunch, that set well with all of us. During our New England winter months she read to us during art class while we sat mesmerized. We discovered that it was possible to laugh in school.

But the biggest and the best thing that this incredible woman did wasn't for all of us. It was for me! She took me under her wing, making me the teacher's pet. When we picked teams she didn't wait for the rest of the students to argue about who got stuck with me. She would ask me to be a team captain or she would call out while the choosing was just starting, asking who needed ME, her friend, on their team. The kids starting to think of me as someone, maybe even someone special. I wasn't too bad at baseball and oddly enough it seemed we played that for every recess and every outdoor "art" class. When groups got formed for projects she made sure I was in the thick of things instead of on the outside.

She didn't just talk to me like I was a real person, an okay person. She did it right in front of everyone. I don't which came first...whether my classmates decided I was okay or whether I decided I was okay but it happened. The collision of those two phenomenon gave me a shot at being a normal kid. I had friends, two best friends even. I joined the scouts. I went to sleep overs. I hung out with other kids. I developed quite the sense of humor as I realized that my comic talents increased my social life.

Ann Miller gave me much more than an education. Diamonds and gold pale in comparison to very special gifts she bestowed upon me. I owe this woman a debt of gratitude I can never repay. She touched my life and she touched my heart. I found my hope, my strength and my courage in grade 5, room 10 through the compassionate determination of one of God's unsung angels.

The first time he walked in to our class room his eyes reminded me of a new born fawn's bewilderment the first time it lays its eyes on the world. Thats not to say that this was his first time in a class room, certainly not, in fact his experience with an average grade school class was I am sure vast and quite superior. Our class was, however; shall I say, less than normal. We were in what was known at time as a 'remedial class' which pretty much pushed into one room both those with learning disabilities and kids with behavioral problems. These problems could consist of everything from violent behavior, attention deficit, and passive aggressiveness.

The first time I saw Steve Brand, our new teacher, he had a escort a tall rough looking man whom he was asking many questions about how to run our class, including the construction of a time out room, various suggestions for behavior modification... This was all before we even new that our old teacher had quite and Mr. Brand would be the next.

During the next year there was a dozen assaults leading medical treatment, my close friend was attacked by a class mate who broke his arm. Yet the year before there were a dozen assaults a month. Many students were sent home permanently, others just stop coming but one way or another Mr. Brand got control of the class through a banking reward system, interesting teaching methods the reward students when they accomplished assignments, my favorite reward was listening to the radio. In the fifth grade I was held back a year do to lack of progress. At age ten I could not read or write a sentence. Mr. Brand took the time to sit with me one on one and though me syllables, then words, then sentences, all in one year. Then much to my dismay he asked me to read a book, having been read to I enjoyed stories but never even tried to read a whole book but the one he gave me only had words in it that I had learned with is steadfast persistence.

I quickly fell in love with the ability to read to my self, even if I could not understand every word he thought me to read past it and get the gist of its meaning and thus understand the sentence. My grade level was tested before and after entering the seventh grade and my reading level went up 3 grades in reading and two in writing. This year I finished My Master Degree. I could not have done it with out him.

The teacher who made a difference in my life is my Peer Counseling teacher Mr. Chris Saporito.
I have been in the Peer Counseling program for 3 years. I am currently a junior at my high school.
Last year, sadly my mom was diagnosed with a tumor in her right kidney. When I found out the news, my mom had called me from the hospital and I was at home. It was during Mother's day weekend. I broke down when i heard of the news, I didnt know what to do. So I called Mr. Saporito and he helped me alot. He got me to calm down and said that he would help me with anything that i needed help with. My mom later talked to him, asking him if he would help with filing out paper work if the worst comes to happen and my mom doesnt survive the surgery. Since i am in a single family home, certain paperworks need to be filled out and everything. I need to find a home to live in and just everything if the worst had came. Gadly it didnt, but Mr. Saporito offered to help me thru everything. Monday when i came back to school, he was the first person that i talked to about my mom being diagosed with a tumor. He got me to think of stuff that i didnt come to think about. He helped me every step of the way with my mom and her surgery. He was always there to reassure me that "there is a light at the other end of the tunnel".
He made a big difference in my life, and for the past 3 years he has helped me change and grow to the person that i am today. And taught me to use my peer counseling skills to help my counslee's and my friends and family. To everyone is my peer counseling class, mr. saporito is like a father figure to all of us. He is there for each and everyone of us, whenever we need him. He is someone that I can depend on to go to, to tell him how i am feeling and break down. It's not easy for me to break down or tell anyone how i really feel on the inside. But Mr. Saporito is someone that i can go to and talk about anything that is on my mind and he wont judge me for it. but rather help me figure out options to help solve my issue. Even though as a peer counsler, i know what i am suppose to do but everyone now and then we need a little guidence and mr. saporito is our and my guidence.
I dont know what i'd be doing without the peer counseling program - which mr. saporito is in charge of - and mr. saporito. Mr. Saporito has helped me grow so much and without him and the program. the past three years of high school would be totally different. I dont know where i would be with out mr. saporito.

My grandson is bipolar and had hated school. He has learning disabilities and had teachers who just didn't engage him in learning. When he was in 6th grade he had a teacher who not only understood his problems but taught him that school was fun. She taught her class, not in the conventional way, but in an engaging way. She would take a subject such as reading and play with it. An example would be she made them their favorite character and become part of the book instead of just reading the words. She proved that even reading a dull, uninterested story could become alive.
She not only cared about her students while they were in school but also after they left the classroom. She attended baseball games, plays and anything and everything they participated in.
At the end of the school year she gave each of the 23 students a dvd with all of the activities the students were involved in. She had taken pictures from the first day of school until the day they left her class.
My grandson is now in Junior High and just loves school because of Mrs. W.

We have 3 small children and have been bounced around with relocation with my husbands job from apartment to a new town to another apartment and another new town. Before our last move the principal approached me and said Mrs R your children have been through so much transision and they are such precious babies. Please, with your permission I would like to call the principal of your new school and have them placed into a teachers class that I feel they will have the least amount of transitional issues and be able to thrive. I was cried and gave her a big hug. I though it was so endering for the principal to recognize the sensitivity of a move on children and offer to do what she could to help. In the year that we attended this school I saw only a small sampling of what this principal does for her staff and the children. She is A plus all the way!

I had a history teacher in high school, Mr Randle. He had long (over his ears!) hair and connected with the students. He noticed that I always had a book and was always reading when I had more a minute of free time so he told me I could read during class. I seldom did because I'm a rule follower and if a teacher is talking, you're supposed to listen! After I got an A on the first test, he said I could still read, but had to do as well on the rest of the texts - and he said it in front of the class. He then brought in books for me to borrow, usually history, but I still read all of them. I ended up being a teacher, in great deal because of him.

Influential First Grade Teacher
by Laurie B. |edit
March 22, 2007 03:26 AM EDT tag: teacher
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I am proud to write about the teacher that has had the most influence in my life. She was my first grade teacher, Miss Gunderson. This single, never married teacher retired after 49 years in the class room. Her 50th year she volunteered to teach reading. Not only did I learn to read very well in her class, but she also encouraged me on a spiritual journey that lasts to this day. Furthermore, she set the stage of me wanting to be the best first grade teacher, so I could teach others how to read. I had contact with Miss Gunderson up until her passing at 95. Through the years we kept in contact. She even wanted to meet the "very special man" who caught my fancy. Yes, I needed to get her approval. She consented gladly! We kept in contact through Christmas letters and visits when I traveled the 2,000 miles to visit my folks and Miss Gunderson. When back in the hometown, my family would go to the two-story home filled with books! On one ocassion, she asked me to write an annotation for a book she wrote. I have kept the book to this day. Even though early in my teaching career I realized that I was not cut out to teach first grade, I am still teaching. At present I school my children at home, as well as use my skills to teach others to read and write. What an indelible mark Miss Gunderson made in my life!

When I entered the ninth grade, I was a mediocre student, excelling at those things that interested me, treading academic water in the rest. Enter Zorah-Therese Kelsey on her sling-back pumps, her handsome Gallic features always hinting at scrutiny (or so her students all thought.) She was a survivor of World War II, a daughter of a French resistance fighter, a consumate story teller, a Charles deGaulle loyalist and a lover of all learning. Her stories of defying the rules in the convent where she went to school, slipping under the covers with a flashlight so she could read long into the night, made school seem a privilege. She reminded her students incessantly that education was not about grades, it was about the thrill of pursuing knowledge, and that no B or C or D should undermine our satisfaction with the simple act of cracking a book and exploring its contents. It was her philosophy of learning that emboldened me that year as I confronted Algebra problems and chemical equations: I had been a life-long coward when faced with math and science. Relieved of my anxiety, I began to excel in these subjects, and was chosen to participate on the Chemistry Scholarship team that year. I currently work as a Speech-Language Pathologist, a field that requires an understanding of scientific study and data analysis with the ultimate goal of helping children and adults communicate. I cannot imagine doing what I do today without the early influence of this dedcated teacher, this charismatic human being.

The teacher who had the most impact on me was Robert Tetzlaff, my sixth grade teacher at Daves Avenue School in Los Gatos, California. Because he only recently retired, he must have been in his twenties at the time. He was the first male teacher I had and I'm sure that made a difference to a young girl with a distant father.

What made him special? First, the way we did P.E. He taught us soccer. This in 1964, a time when most Americans had never heard of the game. He treated athletic activities as fun and health-oriented, rather than as utterly competetive boy-oriented drills. He was the first teacher I had who expected just as much physical ability from girls as from boys.

In sixth grade, history classes focused on South America. Mr. T went far beyond usual facts about government, history and most important industries. He had been an olympic bicycle racer and had been around South America during the Pan American games. He showed us pictures he had taken of the slums outside Rio and talked about the problem of corruption in the politics. I thought I was being treated like an adult, someone to be trusted with knowledge of the "dark side" of human experience.

Mr. T also read to us after lunch every day. Sometimes it was the usual classic youth-oriented fiction (The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Most Dangerous Game). But he also read to us from The Ugly American. Wow. Once again I felt respected as an adult in training.

In Mr. T's class I learned that I could love my country (as I did with a passion and still do) while criticizing those aspects of it which did not live up to its ideal. I learned that ethics and morality were not a matter of doing what everybody else did but of following a code and doing what was right. He treated us as people, not as children.

I am now a teacher myself and I keep Mr. Tetzlaff's class in my heart and memory.

My story was about my speech and english teacher in high school. I was shy and had a difficult time speaking before a group. One day she had me read a poem about Daedalus and Icarus, who strapped on wings and the son went to close to the sun. The wax holding feathers to his wings melted and he plunged to his death. "Finally!" my speech teacher exclaimed when I finished. "We've found something you can DO!" -- She was right. I could read poetry without inserting an imaginary comma at the end of each line.

From there I went on to be a member of the debate team and debated all three years I was in high school. It was a terrific experience and involved debating nearly every class day. (We had a class in it!) We competed at the state level and did well, and I think of my speech teacher to this day. She changed my life by helping me find my voice.

I was in 6th grade and I got Miss Boyd for my teacher. She was so wonderful. She kept me from biting my finger nails. She said it was a nasty habit and I was a young lady. she was an interesting and motivational teacher. I got really good grades.My parents decided to move in the middle of the year and I was crushed. I wrote her a long letter letting her know how I felt about her as a teacher and was so upset we had to move. Forward, 25 plus years and my mom called me over to this group of ladies at a luncheon. I could tell something was up and there she was, Miss Boyd, in the middle of the group. I was so excited, happy and crying at the same time. It was a great reunion. I turned right into that 12 year old girl while talking to her. It was so funny.

Then about 17 years from that chance meeting, I ran into her at a restaurant. We talked for the longest time. I told her about the letter I wrote before I moved and I could still remember how upset I was. I told her where I was working and what was going on with me. A couple of weeks later she stopped to see me at work and she had my letter in her hand. Now I am really cryng. She kept that letter at least 40 years. I was overwhelmed. I still have the letter now with me. You find out all those years later that she remembered me and had kept my letter.

Jan W

Lori, don't you know that it's GOOD if people post their entries here? That way there are LESS entries! Less enries man more chances to win! =)

Geez Borders, what is the deal with this? Another one of your 'contests' where the information is sketchy enough that you have no accountability? When is the deadline? When will the winners be announced? Who is doing the judging? Who keeps the copywrite?

Can't you people read the instructions that they do supply? Geez. It doesnt say to post your story here. Are y'all dumb or what?

My ESL teacher in second grade made the biggest difference in my life. Mrs. Rishel was the most patient teacher that made learning so much fun. As a second grader who had absolutely not idea what was going on, Mrs. Rishel's class was simply a class that signified game time. She made the days pass so quickly. I think it's thanks to her that I have the ability to converse and speak without the stigmatizing accent that so many ESL students have. Now, I am a twelfth grader, in some of the highest english level classes, all thanks to Mrs. Rishel.

I think the teacher idea is a wonderful one - and it's so nice to read everyone's memories of their teachers, good or bad. who besides teachers make such an impact on people so that they discuss them years and years later? :o)

I had a host of teachers when I was in high school in Grafton, Ohio that made a difference. I was going through a really rough time with my parents divorce, right before my Senior year, and then my boyfriend broke up with me over Christmas break. To top things off, my father married my now step-mother two days before I turned 18. It felt like the world as I knew it was coming to a complete and utter end. If it had not been for many of my teachers, Deborah Ince, Victoria Rutherford, Shirley Caiola, Carl Riccilli, Mrs. Houston, Mrs. Cotton, other teachers whose names escape me at this time, and our principal John Bianchi, I don't think I would have made it through the final 8 weeks of my Senior year in one piece. I can honestly say that they all went above and beyond the call of duty, because of how ugly things became with my boyfriend (ex) and my father at times (dad taught at the high school I attended - stink city). These ladies and gentlemen let me know that I had a place to come to not only learn, but to "breathe easy" and continue to be a teenager who was trying to find their way in the world.
Thank you so much, all of you. You have made me into the teacher that I am today because of your mentorship and caring.

My son has had two strokes,him with learning disabilities. He loves school and this year he has excelled because his 5th grade teacher Richard Bateman has adapted his teaching styles to capture the imagination of a child that learns differently. Bateman, with 30 years experience, has made audiobooks an important part of the language arts program and provided my son with opportunties to show what he has learned through creative oral presetations. The rich language and vocabulary of great books insipres my son to read more. Bateman has motovated a child that strugggles to reach his potential, and strectch for more.

Educator's week is over at Borders. Does this mean the contest is over? Will the winners be posted?

Oops, just read the boldfaced addition to the article above. Thanks for the info, Rich!

I added my post, but I had problems with it loading, and it came in at 12:00 local time. Am I officially out, or is there a measure of grace for loading time?

Quoting from above: "Winners will be announced on the site and in the Borders Shortlist on Thursday, April 12th."
Border's Shortlist is in the morning email but I don't see any announcement re. winners of this contest. Since what my mother taught me was to stand up for myself, I thought I'd wait for the results of this contest before entering another. Thanks.

Yeah KC, I'm curious to see this one they pick myself.

Any news on the list of winners? And what is borders short list?

Is there somewhere else we need to look for the winners or hasnt it been posted yet?

Closed door meeting Lori.

Ok Ron I got you

Okay Lori.

Lori--Borders ShortList is an e-mail weekly to which you can subscribe at www.bordersstores.com/bordersmail
It has promotions for what's new at Borders Books, with discount coupons, etc.

thanks stephen

This is extremely frusturating, considering I worked hard on my contest entry and we STILL have not received the list of winners! I guess I will think twice about entering a contest next time.

I hope this isnt an indication of the customer service at borders book stores.

No not at all...Border's book stores are excellent, but I would really appreciate some answers even if I don't win.

I know caroline I was just trying to get a reaction.....HELLO IS THERE ANYONE HERE???????????????????

I have copied below the text of the email I sent to Rich F, Borders Book, who is the "owner" of the website that announced this contest and who announces Borders other contests, including the new one about mothers standing up for me & Mitch Albom. My agressive pursuit of an answer may have lost any chance I had of being a winner but I really enjoy writing and contests and who doesn't want a Borders Gift Card. Hope this brings results. Good luck to you-all.
"Dear Rich,
Since I am a reference librarian I recognize the time pressure involved in putting together the Borders Shortlist Extra for Kurt Vonnegut. I'm sure it was a busy week.
I also realize that most of the small Gather contests are just another PR tool to increase visitors to your web site and members in Gather. It's great marketing. It seems to me a win-win.
Those of us who enter the contests are seeking either the prize (a Borders gift card is to be highly desired) or some sort of recognition/validation of our writing skills. I have followed "the competition" closely, visiting the website at least daily and adding more and more books to the list for my next trip to Broders. I really enjoyed the contest and thought I had a good chance to win. Others have also. We're starting to grumble. We were promised a list of winners to be published in the Shortlist on Thursday 12 April. A missed deadline is sometimes unavoidable but please don't forget us entirely. Thank you for your time attention."

K.C. thanks for posting that. That makes me feel a LITTLE better, if not fully, but I'm glad Lori and I aren't the only ones upset!

KC I also emailed Rich but have gotten no reply.....and yes it is very frustrating...if he would have put even a little blurb out saying something...anything...just to acknowledge our exsistence but they are not responding to this thread or emails....were we that unimportant to completely forget about us?

Rich did finally email me, and explained the time snafu. Also, he figures he might have looked over my stories, when he sent out a denial of publication. He's okay. Since it was Kurt Vonnegut who set the contest back a bit, we'll forgive. But, we're still watching.

Okay, well does this mean that there are still going to even be winners, or the contest was just for fun?

I think there will be winners. I am satisfied for now. I did read the comment that Rich wrote on Ron Jenkins' article and yes things happen and losing Kurt Vonnegut is major. At least we are still not being ignored and I do believe Rich indicated to Ron that yes there will be winners and they will be announced so let's just watch and see what happens.

I'm here!

I also received an email from Rich and as I had suspected the death of a major American writer (newspapers today note that "Vonnegut books are flying off the shelves") presents a major marketing push for book stores. We have contest results by next week. "Patience... hard thing" I've pasted the email below F.Y.I.

Thank you, Rich, for taking the time to send email.

"Yes indeed KC, we have not forgotten our teachers.
We were not able to publish the list as promised due to the suddenness of the Vonnegut news.

I appreciate your email. We will publish the winning teacher essay this week
With apologies!
rich"

That is very comforting to hear K.C.! I'm glad that our essays have not gone unnoticed and that winners will be picked sometime this week.

Way too long.

I emailed Rich last week. Didnt get the decency of a reply. Then I read on Ron Jenkins' thread that the winners were going to be on the short list this week. Well the short list is out and NOW they are saying next week. I dont feel I have any chance to win....I dont think there will be a winner. I think I have been strung along enough. The people that entered this contest were understanding last week with the death of Kurt Vonnegut. Now what is the excuse for this week. I dont think I have ever felt so slighted in my life. As I said I dont think I will win...especially after this comment....but I would like to see who does. And I for one am tired of getting smoke blown up my butt.

Lori: If you win, the value of the money due to the inflationary process will make a 250 dollar gift certificate worth 1.99.

Personally, this infuriates me. One day: understandable. Two days: understandable. Three to four days: makes sense since they were already late two days before. But over a week: UNACCEPTABLE.

Makes you wonder huh Ron. I am waiting until I get Borders short list in my email on Thursday to pass final judgement.

This is a teacher who just wanted to get her students interested in English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLSFQDqapFE