Thank your teacher !!!

[Mark Valsi]

I just read thru the thread about who was your favorite teacher.

I was a Junior High teacher for 36 years, mostly drafting, but after that program was cancelled, I was a history and math teacher. Now I'm a some time substitute teacher in the local High School. Many of the students I have are sons and daughters of former students. The principal is a former student as is the coucillor and a couple of the teachers.


Please, if you had a good or great teacher in the past, look them up and thank them ! You can't believe how good it makes an old teacher hear some kind words from a former student. Really "makes my day"

[Judy Kingery]

Mark, amen to that, absolutely! Other day a girl said 'hey, I remember you, you came and taught during the Sex Ed classes on date rape awareness, wow, cool.' I said, oh, well thank you! She told me when she graduated high-school and I said yep, that'd have been me, I did that for 25 years. Made my day she'd remember that class and that she's doing fine now.

Anyway - now I just sub for Sex Ed, too. So from one teacher to another, thank you, Mark, for what you did and do on behalf of children, best to ya, bud! Jude

[Greg Cole]

Mark,
I took a few strolls down memory lane yesterday after the shop teacher thread..... oddly enough my eldest sister was asking me some questions about composing some verbs in French yesterday too. Amazingly enough I did quite well using a language I hadn't used in 10 years.
One thing leads to another, and I was thinking about the French teacher I had all through HS, Mr Gimachello. I learned French very easily and Mr G was a big reason for that, simply b/c I liked the man now that I look back.
Another coincidence, is that I was digging around the website of my HS today looking to see if Mr G was still teaching & managed to send him an e-mail saying basically saying thanks for getting through to me. He wrote back saying he remembered me and had a few small things that were reassuring me he really did know who I was (not just being nice etc). I graduated HS in 92, so it's been a few years. :rolleyes: Example, I used to "click" my pens in his class and as soon as I walked in the door he'd confiscate "mon stylo" cause the clicking drove him nuts.
Lastly he busted my rump about not addressing him in French, 'cause there was no English allowed in his classroom. Some things thankfully never change.
I don't use French for much of anything, but I'll never forget it either.

Greg

[Don Bullock]

Mark, you got that right. My wife and I both elementary school (well I do for another 41 days:D). We're in the middle of buying our "retirement" home and one of our former students is one of the people helping us at the bank. It's nice to know that some turn out fine.;)

[Joe Chritz]

An old and favorite saying...

If you are reading this, thank a teacher.
If you are reading this in English, thank a soldier.

I have to hand it to you (and all the other teachers) I want nothing to do with your job.

I've known a lot of teachers and you all are right up there in my book.

Joe

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

I was fortunate enough to be able to chat with my 8th grade drafting teacher, who transfered to the high school and became my woodshop teacher a couple of years ago...we had a good laugh over the fact that I was making a living with woodworking at the time....since I just about flunked woodworking!

It was nice to have a chance to catch up with Mr. Dow, and thank him, 30 some years later.

Doug

[Lee Schierer]

In 1967 we graduated from High School and dedicated our year book to our favorite teacher. This past summer we had our 40th class reunion. We were part of the committee and asked about inviting this teacher. We were told that "he never went to reunions" by some of the committee that had worked on previous reunions. I decided to try anyway and after a couple of phone calls I was able to convince him that folks would really like to see him and talk with him and I was able to get a tentative maybe from him. A few weeks before the event he called and confirmed that he would in fact attend. We had a very good reunion catching up with old friends. The teacher was amazed that so many "kids" came over and thanked him for teaching them and for coming to the reunion. Many "kids" were amazed that after 40 years he still knew their names. He was very grateful after the reunion and made a point of thanking me for talking him into coming.

[fred woltersdorf]

Please, if you had a good or great teacher in the past, look them up and thank them ! You can't believe how good it makes an old teacher hear some kind words from a former student. Really "makes my day"

Mark great thread, but my favorite teacher Arlen Dimmock who taught drafting passed away a short time after i graduated hs in 1963. he was one of a kind, gave us a long leash but knew how to make us produce. thanks i haven't thought about him in a while.

[Rod Sheridan]

An old and favorite saying...


If you are reading this in English, thank a soldier.



Joe

Now Joe, that would depend upon where you live, and what your primary language is.......Rod.

[Joe Chritz]

Now Joe, that would depend upon where you live, and what your primary language is.......Rod.

si vrai, si vrai

Is that correct?

The saying was or actually is primarily an American one but the gist is worldwide.

Teachers are one of those professions that seems to be the same no matter where you go. Like remembering people from 30 years ago that were in 3rd grade last time they met.

Joe

[Bob Glenn]

But, I'll try again. Bob Fields was my seventh grade metal shop teacher. Just did a look up on the internet and came up with a phone number, called, but there was no answer. I'll try to call later.

[Greg Cole]

si vrai, si vrai

C'est vrai monsieur Chritz.
Je croix que tu parle une petite peut du Francais aussi.

Amazing what's still alive in the gray matter up there after a decade of inactivity.....

Cheers.
Greg

[Gene E Miller]

Greetings & Salutations,

I had some very good Wood shop teachers both in
elementary and high school that passed on basic
skills that I still used today.

However I guess what I would really like to pass on
is some information about who really taught me the
value of working and if you make something make it
the best you can.

My Dad was just that kind of a person. If he did
something you could bet it was done the right way
the first time.

He taught me to use just about every kind kind of
wood working tool that I have every used from hand
tools to power tools including the table saw, jointer,
planer, and router.

He taught wood shop, piano repair and piano tuning
and laid out and set up the first wood shop the school
ever had.

As a kid we did home repairs and remodeling together
as well as building soap box derby cars and racing them
for several years when I was in the correct age bracket.

I can remember sanding on something by hand for what
seemed like a lifetime and just knew that I had it perfect
and all he hand to do was run his hand over it and there
would be a half dozen "places" that still needed some attention.

I know that many of you had some of the very same
experiences with your dads and oh wouldn't it be nice
to be able to do some of those things again.

I lost my dad a few years ago and he never got to see
my "dream" shop that I have now.

What makes all of this so special to me about him is that
he was able to do all of that and was totally blind.

He operated table saws, routers, drill presses, jointers, and
planers and could not see a thing. He still had all of his
fingers too. :D The worst thing I every remember ever
happening to him was he got a finger nail jerked off by a
sander one time. Stuck it in his mouth and sucked on it
a while and back to work he went.

We had a running thing when I was a kid. We were framing
some bedrooms in the basement and I would be hand nailing
a stud while he held it in position and when I would hesitate
to check if the nail was in all the way he would stick his
finger in to feel it for himself and WHAM I would hit him
just about every time. He always had a black and blue
fingernail thanks to me.

So as far as someone that has influenced me and my
desire to woodwork I guess that man was the one for
me.

Thanks for letting me brag a little and Dad I miss you
and wish I could hit your finger one more time.

Gene

[Bill Wyko]

I just read thru the thread about who was your favorite teacher.

I was a Junior High teacher for 36 years, mostly drafting, but after that program was cancelled, I was a history and math teacher. Now I'm a some time substitute teacher in the local High School. Many of the students I have are sons and daughters of former students. The principal is a former student as is the coucillor and a couple of the teachers.


Please, if you had a good or great teacher in the past, look them up and thank them ! You can't believe how good it makes an old teacher hear some kind words from a former student. Really "makes my day"
I tried that but most of them passed away:o I always got a kick out of my mechanics teacher. He used to call me the "Magazine Mechanic" Now my business has been in more publications than I know about. He was a grouchy guy but he was a good guy. Can't say the same about my woodshop teacher though. He liked to beat kids.:mad: He didn't like me because my uncles really used to do mean things back to him. Like take apart his VW Bug in the parking lot.:eek: