After the dust settled this morning I got to thinking about my own school experience over the years (both as a student and a teacher), and it struck me how spiritually-formative the impact of a good teacher can be. From this point of reflection it was only a hop skip and a jump to remembering some of the teachers who have left a spiritually profound mark on my life. They are listed below, in no particular order.
How about you? Who are some of the teachers who touched your life over the years?
Here's my list:
1. Ms. Peretti (Grade 6) Part way through my Grade 6 year our beloved homeroom teacher took a mat-leave and Ms. Peretti replaced her. I had no idea, the day she introduced herself to the class and explained that we would be doing a lot of writing with her, that this would be the start of a life-long passion for writing. Thank you Ms. Peretti for teaching me to care deeply about the written word.
2. Ms. Olson (Grade 5) Grade 5 was sort of a turning point for me in my scholastic career, where I finally felt like I fit; and this is thanks in no small part to Ms. Olson. We were her first ever class, and she was enthusiastic and perceptive as a new teacher. I don't suppose my opinion of a teacher had ever been higher: I thought the world of her. Thank you Ms. Olson for teaching me to love scholasticism before I even knew what the word met.
3. Ms. Babik (High School English) Ms. Babik's class was the place (on the very first day of High School) where I met the girl who would become my wife. But that's not the only reason I remember her class so fondly. She was the archetypal English teacher: wise, insightful, creative and quirky. The lessons she gave us (formally and informally) in interpretation, literary analysis and clear communication still come into play for me every week when I sit down with a biblical text on Monday and tell others what I found there on Sunday. Thank you Ms. Babik for being so inspiring and illuminating.
4. Grandpa Lloyd (Bible) Grandpa Lloyd loved the Bible and couldn't help but talk about it. I have vivid memories of sitting on his knee and hearing him reflect, expound, narrate and explain the truths of the Word with a conviction and passion that was, even at six or seven, spiritually contagious. Thank you Grandpa Lloyd for pushing a boy who was probably too young for it to think deeper about God.
5. Prof. David Miall (Engl 351-- Romantic Poetry and Prose) David Miall taught Romantic Poetry and Prose at the University of Alberta, and it's unlikely that he remembers me, but his course, and the creative approach he came at it with, left an indelible mark on my mind and heart. Thank you David Miall for bringing the works of so many dead poets to life for me.
6. John Robinson (High School English) When I took my first teaching appointment at St. Paul Regional High, Mr. Robinson was a close colleague and collaborator. As a mentor to a new teacher he was generous and encouraging, and watching him interact with his students taught me things no teacher college could have. The many conversations we shared about life, literature and philosophy after classes still ring in my head once in a while. Thank you John for your mentorship and humour.
7. David Guretzky (Theology) David Guretzky's challenge to think theologically, and his care and wisdom in teaching me what exactly that meant, hit me out of the blue in Seminary. The process of deconstruction was at times painful, but the rebuilding was profoundly formative. Thank you David for showing me I wasn't nearly as Christocentric as I thought, and then showing me how to be more so.
8. Dad (life) Everything I know about tools I learned from my Dad (and for the record, this isn't much, and far less than he knows). He taught me more than this, of course: how to respect women and how to listen to music and how to read for life and how to fish and canoe and start a campfire. Thanks Dad for helping a young impressionable boy become a man.
9. Dale Dirksen (Worship Ministry) Dale Dirksen was a really important mentor during my time at Briercrest. He taught me to define worship and to process difficult ministry questions and to fit things like art and symbol and sacred act into my work as a pastor. Thank you Dale for your commitment to helping a guy who liked to sing and play guitar become a worship leader.
10. Mr. Theisen (High School Physics/Science) Mr. Theisen's left-brain clarity and systematic approach to teaching science made his classes like a long, slow drink of water: not especially zesty, but profoundly refreshing for all that. He was a study in the art of being unperturbable and his careful method for solving equations still comes in handy. Thanks Mr. Theisen for your care and precision as a science teacher.
11. David Miller (Biblical Greek). David taught me to read the Bible in Greek. I don't just mean to use exegetical techniques, but to approach the Greek New Testament as a living book written in a living language. At the end of our Greek Exegesis I course, he closed the class with a little parable that seared itself into my imagination and inspired me to develop a habit of reading the Greek New Testament. "Imagine a fish," he said, "Swimming up stream for months. It finally gets to the top of the stream, figures, 'Finally I can rest!' so it flops out of the water onto the bank, and promptly dies. This (he explained) is what it'll be like for you if you don't find some way to keep up with your reading."
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