Tribute to: Mrs. Fernandes, Fatima
Convent High School, Margao Goa, India
Mrs. Fernandes was my language teacher in seventh grade. I credit
my love for reading to her. She also introduced me to Scrabble . She
was so vivacious and I can still recollect her laughing away all my
worries and fears. Even while suffering from cancer she made it
seem not so dreadful . I miss her a lot and just want to say what a
profound impact she had on me.
As a teacher today, I try to be the kind of teacher she was.
Submitted by: Mildred Lobo
Tribute to: Dr. Gerald Haslam, Sonoma State University,
Rohnert Park, California
In the fall of 1974, while attending
Sonoma
State University I signed up for three literature classes
planning to drop two. By the time I attended Dr. Haslam's class
there was no longer a contest. The class was called "The Short
Story" and it had a profound effect on my life and on my vocation.
He stripped away the jargon until you understood the concepts and
were interested in knowing the name of the literary concepts. By
that time I had fallen in love with short stories and with
literature in general. Dr. Haslam is not only an effective teacher
but an accomplished author and still writes from his home near the
university where we first met. You can see read about his work and
purchase his books at:
http://www.geraldhaslam.com/
Submitted by: Steven Fletcher
Tribute to: Sr. Theresa Mary, Fatima Convent High School,
Margao Goa, India
When I came first to Fatima Convent High School for admission
to the pre-primary, Sr. Theresa Mary interviewed me. She asked me
to identify objects, colours, numbers etc and I did very well. She
then gave me a chocolate and I was thrilled. It was the first time
that I had come in close contact with a nun. I later met her at
her residence a few months before she passed away. She was too ill
then to attend office and one would have to go to the residence to
meet her. What surprised me was that she was very cheerful in
spite of her suffering and I admire her for that.
Submitted by: Shirley da Cunha
Tribute to: Mr. Richmond, Riverview Elementary School,
Riverview, Florida, U.S.A.
My second grade teacher was Mr. Richmond and I will never
forget him: I hope I can meet him in the "afterlife" life. I was a
shy, "gifted" (sensitive and confused!) child in a place and time
where no one understood such things, and Mr. Richmond was a gifted
teacher and an innovative one. He taught me in a class that was
two classes in one (second grade and third grade combined). I am
sure most teachers would have found this burdensome but he made it
into an opportunity to help both classes. His brilliance was
putting the kids who "went" together in the middle and taking
better care of both groups of kids who didn't quite fit in one
group or the other. He took a lemon (having to teach a half and
half class with twice as much work) and made it better for all the
kids. I didn't feel picked on or singled out -- I think he did
this very gently and graciously.
And he had all of us do a project, a physical project, like a
diorama or maybe growing a plant, for each subject. I think we all
loved him -- I know I did. I thought he looked like President
Lincoln, who always seemed to me to have a very kind face.
I wonder if he ever knew how much of an impact he had. Bless you
Mr. Richmond!
Submitted by: Carroll Straus
Tribute to: Mrs. Helen Goodykoontz, Christiansburg High School,
Christiansburg, Virginia.
Mrs. Helen Goodykoontz taught me Junior English and Senior English
in high school. Mrs. Goodykoontz was always supportive and
encouraging. And I remember how she encouraged us to read,
read anything, just read. She also encouraged me to think for
myself and to be proud of my abilities. Mrs. Goodykoontz has since
passed away and she was indeed a positive influence on my mind and
on my soul.
Submitted by: Jay Bender
Tribute to: Mrs. Rutherford, Millers Creek School, Phyllis, Ky.
Mrs. Rutherford lived and worked in the Pike County school system,
in Ky. The school was the Millers Creek School.
The post office nearest to the former location of the school is
Phyllis, Ky. The school was shut down due to building of the
Fishtrap Dam in eastern Ky. The school was closed in 1963, the
children rode the bus to Grapevine Elementary. Seven one and two
room schools were closed and the children came to Grapevine
Elementary Parents found that most of the children were more
advanced than those already in this school, some were backward
socially. A book has been written about these one and two room
schools and will be out in 2011.
Submitted by: Pauline Looney
Tribute to: Pauline K. Looney, Simms Creek School
Pauline K. Looney is one of my favorite teachers and remains a good
friend to this day. Mrs. Looney taught in a one room school building
at Simms Creek in Pike County, Kentucky for many, many years with a
great devotion and love for her students. She had this special way
about her that made her capable of reaching out to those who were
having some difficulty learning and keeping up with their
classmates. She loved each and every one of her kids as she often
called them. Mrs. Looney seem to find time to be a great teacher,
wife, mother, daughter, sister. Mrs. Looney to this day keeps up
with her former students: like where they live, how they are doing
in life, offering to still help out if they should need anything.
She does a great job at helping her former students and friends get
in touch with each other over the past years. Mrs. Looney now lives
on Lower Johns Creek, in Pike County, Kentucky. She is still very
active in giving of her time to volunteer work at the hospital. her
church, her former family (students) and helping with her wonderful
grandchildren.
Submitted by: Glema Smith
Tribute to: Tr. Rose
Tr. Rose was a very loving and understandable teacher who taught me
when I was in grade 7.She always understood the children and would
treat us with love and care.She never made us feel lonely in times
of trouble.Whenever we had problems she was always there to support
us.
Submitted by: Sharonelle D'Silva
Tribute to: Mr. Wilburn, Beyer High School, Modesto, CA., USA
Here is a set of six words: Loud, Committed, Vocal, Love, Explore,
and Discover. While these words are very different, they are
also very similar. That’s because they are used to describe one man
to a tee, his name is Mr. Wilburn. To know Mr. Wilburn is to
experience him. Mr. Wilburn was the history teacher I had in my
junior and senior year of high school at Beyer High in Modesto CA.
He … taught me that the words Loud, Commitment, Vocal, Love, Explore
and Discover lead to one single word and that word is
passionate.
You must be passionate about what you do and who you are … Imagine
you are sitting in history class and are getting ready for a speech
from your instructor. You have never encountered a class with this
teacher so you don't know what to expect. He steps up to the
podium and clears his throat... “Good Morning ladies and gentlemen”
he starts, then it happens. He pounds his fist on the podium as he
begins. Whether it was the speech “FOUR SCOORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO
or I HAVE A DREAM! You were there. You could see, feel and
experience what it was like to be there. Because he worked hard to
take you there. He lived and breathed his speeches.
People from other classes had to stop their class and join ours
because they couldn't teach because he was that loud. And they
accepted it. Because he loved what he did and who he was. He was
passionate about teaching, and those who left his class took some
part of him away with them as they went.
The two things I will always remember about Mr. Wilburn is one, his
passion and commitment as he taught his students, and two, his
unspoken acceptance to let me be who I was and who I wanted to
be.... and that's a writer. But the life lesson I will always
carry with me is his unspoken lesson that said YOU WILL NOT BE
SUCCESSFUL UNTIL YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL. Your life is
yours, live it, experience it, and be passionate about it.
Mr. Wilburn will forever be in my heart and soul because he is the
reason I pursued a career in writing and did so with vigor and
determination and most importantly: PASSION
Submitted by: Debra Johnson
Tribute to: William Maina Boit, Rael Tangwar, Mary Chemai (Lelei),
Stanley Samba, Peter Nyarotso, Emilio Emongochel, Betty Emongochel,
Thomas Ruamwenge, Veronicah Gachie, Shiphrah Ruamwenge, George
Okwara and Mr. Ochiel, all from Lelmokwo High School, Eldoret, Kenya
Throughout the years of adolescence, when we are at our most
vulnerable state, when we are still struggling to reconcile
ourselves to the adult world, there are a few who stand by us and
help us through our moments of uncertainty. These people can be
anyone-a friend, a parent, a sibling, a priest, a teacher.
Today is a special day. Today, we recognize the great sacrifices
that our teachers have made for us, and today we commemorate those
who have taken up the task of educating us, and guiding us through
life itself. Today, I honor my high school Teachers who made me what
am today.
Submitted by: Alexander Kipkosgei