I’ve had many teachers over my lifetime, and continue to attend classes, even at my advancing age. When we give up learning new things, our minds will dry up or grow moldy.
Miss Taylor was my fourth grade teacher. She taught her students to love California history (missions), square dancing (some of us, anyway) and baseball (our class team even beat the eighth graders!) She made school fun.
Mrs. Hinkle was my seventh grade teacher, and almost every boy in class had a crush on her (including my future husband, Rick). The girls loved her, too. She taught ancient history in a way that transported us back in time. We all came eagerly to hear the next installment on the Babylonians.
Mrs. Vardon was my high school French teacher and counselor. She was seventy, with diminishing eyesight and had difficulty walking, but a fierce student advocate. I wouldn’t have gotten into college without her behind me. We kept in touch and I visited her after she retired. She was a great lady, and cool. (Another teacher of mind, Mr. Athenour, was a student of Mrs. Vardon, and his student, Miss Borome also taught language arts. Three generations of teachers in the school at one time. Pretty amazing!
Walter van Tilburg Clark was my creative writing prof in college. I wasn’t great at short stories, but he continually encouraged me to pursue my dream.
Pastor Rick Hahn was the first to fire me up about Scripture, and others have followed.
My brainstorming buddies have taught me more about writing than I learned in for years of college. I’ve been writing for forty years, and know I’ll always be an apprentice.
I still take classes, and now sit under teachers far younger than I am. They all have valuable information and insights to share. I take lots of notes because remembering isn’t easy these days — not that it ever was. (I was an average student.) I’ve been told I’m not really losing my memory. There are just too many files in my brain and it takes time to dig out the exact one I need. Creative minds are seldom tidy, and my filing system wasn’t all that great in the beginning.
I love teachers. I’ve been fortunate to have great ones. Wise, caring, charismatic, love-their-subject teachers who fanned the flame to learn – and keep learning.
Life can be plenty exciting when you keep your eyes and ears and mind open.