My first thoughts turned to the positive...and I'll explain who I'd give the award to in a sec...but first, my 2nd thought turned to the word, "Award" and how an award could be given for silly or dumb things, too. I had several teachers I would have wanted to give the "Swift kick in the pants" award...lol...but I digress...
My AP US History teacher was my most influential teacher that I can think of. I had many teachers who loved me and taught me many valuable lessons, but it was he who gave me lessons that truly changed my life in ways I still am thankful for. I will not share his name, though he has passed away in the last few years. So how has he changed my life? He taught me 2 important things that have stuck with me forever since.
Lesson number 1: "One bite at a time"
This lesson has stuck with me forever and will likely continue to. My parents gave me a picture of an elephant they bought when they went to Africa. I got it after my dad passed away. To them, it was a cool picture in Africa. To me, it is a remembrance of what my AP US History told me after I lesson he gave the class that is the lesson number 2...funny enough.
Lesson number 2: How to write a research paper in 24 hours
On a Thursday, if memory serves, my teacher spent the whole hour teaching the class how to write a research paper in 24 hours. There were 11 steps. He went through every one in great detail and made sure everyone was writing each step down. Little did we know it was in preparation for an assignment he was about to give us over the weekend. He was clear and articulate. He was precise and intentional. He also had been teaching the same subject for over 20 years at that point and had a 3x5 card holder full of cards with topics we could choose from for our research papers. Because he had read research papers on the same topics for over 20 years, he knew everything about each subject in that little holder. He taught us the steps, then told us to pick a topic and write a research paper on it over the weekend. He would give us until Monday to turn in a 9+ page research paper, as I recall. I wrote 49 pages...as a junior in high school...in cursive. We weren't allowed to type it.
Before I left his class that day, I went up to him and said, "Mr. *, I understand your instructions, but I feel overwhelmed. How in the world am I going to be able to write a research paper over the weekend?" He responded to me, "How do you eat an elephant?"
I had to seriously think about it. His question was a serious one. There seemed to be no joke behind it. I imagined me sitting down at a table eating an elephant. I told him, "I guess one bite at a time." He said, "Precisely!" or something of the same manner. Then it clicked and I understood the lesson.
Those two lessons have gotten me through many very hard tasks, one mentally and the other through my college years. Writing a 15 page paper for my finals throughout my master's degree program were attainable only because I could use his methods to write the research papers in 4-6 hours. I'm so thankful for that man!!! He deserves the best reward...heaven!
Who, of all the teachers in your life, would you give an award to and why?