Showing Appreciation On World Teachers Day

Teaching plays a fundamental role in the upbringing of our youth. We’ve all met that one person that we view as a positive influence; perhaps it was a parent, teacher or close friend—someone you could count on. With October 5^th recognized as World Teachers Day, we wanted to give the spotlight to those that make a difference. We asked you to share personal stories of teachable moments in your past, highlighting individuals that strive to make a difference every day. Here's a few of our favorite stories:

Teachers can be helpers
I had a physical education teacher in 7th grade that had a huge impact on me. I came from a tiny private school and felt thrown into the fire at a large, public middle school in the 1970's. I really had no idea where I fit in. In addition, I was the youngest in my class and was very intimidated by the physical maturity of many of my peers.

Our gymnasium was under reconstruction or some sort of upgrade, so we were forced to do Physical Education in the hallways and to keep a notebook on the rules of the games we would soon be playing on the gym floor.

My P.E. teacher (Eunice McCrae) singled me out one day and we talked and talked about the adjustments I was going through. She told me that I could also use my notebook to journal all of my feelings and that she would not tell anyone anything I wanted to share about the difficulties I was having at being in a new school environment.

Little did I know that all of that journaling would help me through the death of my brother at age 26 (I was 17), the death of my other brother at 46, the death of a dear high school friend, the infidelity of my husband after 25 years of marriage and so much more. I ended up becoming an author and used the journals I kept as a way to  make the books more real. I would love to know where Miss McCrae is now and thank her personally for turning a shy little 11 year old into a confident, successful writer, mother, wife and athlete." -Stacey Greene, Author Of Stronger Than Broken

Teachers can be influencers
"My favorite teacher was Russell Lowery-Hart when he was at St. Edward's University back in the mid-90s.  He taught many of his classes with a community service component and ensured that we walked away with a solid portfolio of work.  I'm now fortunate to call him a friend, but he definitely helped steer me in the right direction...

My company created a scholarship earlier this year and one of the questions I ask students to fill in is who their favorite/most influential teacher is because of Russell's impact on my life.  I even mention him in the intro to the scholarshiphttps://www.officialcouponcode.com/scholarships/)" - Antonella Pisani, Founder of Official Coupon Code

Teachers can be lifesavers
"Maryfrances Wagner was my English teacher at Raytown High School.  I had transferred in as a Junior and knew no one and had a MAJOR chip on my shoulder.  I was daring her to teach me.  She rose to the challenge.  I can safely say that I am the person I am today because of her.  When I graduated from high school, my mother took Maryfrances and another teacher out and told them they saved my life.  I thought she was being dramatic but in retrospect, I believe she was right!"- Lori H.

But teaching isn't limited to the classroom...
My parents divorced when I was very young, and I spent a lot of time living with my grandparents. I was obviously very upset and distressed about the divorce, but my grandfather was incredibly supportive and showed me that I couldn't let this get me down. He didn't shy away from telling me the truth about the situation, explaining to me that my parents didn't love each other anymore, and that if they'd stayed together their relationship would have become worse and worse. He taught me that you should always face the truth, and that things happen for a reason.

---

Magnatag is proud to support teachers both inside and outside the classroom. On behalf of our entire team, we'd like to thank those who chose to educate and inspire.