The Five Teachers Who Made Me The Best Teacher. By Jason D. Smith

I have this block with this quote that is considered one of the best I can remember, if not the best. It looks at the one quality of teaching one has to have, which is loving every minute of it- from preparing the materials, to presenting them, to pushing the students to succeed and lastly getting feedback from them, years after they left school and/or university. I had five teachers who made a big difference and helped shape the way I am as a teacher. This one is for you with a big round of thanks!

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In the hallway of my old high school

I meet my former 5th Grade Teacher.

She was a storyteller

And told many stories.

Some of mystery and suspense

Some of excitement and adventure

Some that made us laugh

And some that taught us some lessons.

Stories that were shared to my students

Stories that were created for my students

Stories which made me a story teller

Thanks to the teacher who was that story teller.

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In the hallway of my old high school

I meet my former English Teacher

She was very strict

And for a good reason.

It was important to be correct

When it comes to spelling and writing

When it comes to English grammar

When it comes to being punctual

When it comes to being committed

At being the best in English

And setting an example for other students to follow.

Thanks to the teacher who was that strict.

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In the hallway of my old high school

I meet my track and field coach

Who was also my math teacher.

He brought out the best

And showed me who I was

A dedicated individual

Working hard around the clock

To achieve the most impossible of goals

And to make myself a proud.

Thanks to the teacher who challenged me to the extremes.

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In the hallway of my old high school

I meet my music teacher and choir director

He brought out my creative best

And showed me that creativity is the key

And that I was the conductor

And the students were my audience

And my performance was the key

To getting the standing ovation.

Thanks to the teacher who made me creative.

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And lastly the last person whom I cherish the most.

In the hallway of my old high school

I meet my elementary school teacher,

Who helped students with reading and writing problems.

She loved teaching her students

And the students loved her.

What is the point of teaching your students

If you don’t love what you are doing?

I’ve had many former students coming back

Thanking me for what I did.

You cannot love teaching if you cannot love your students.

That was the lesson she taught me.

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There are five things that make the teacher the best.

You have to be a storyteller

You have to be strict

You have to be a challenger

You have to be creative

But the most important thing that makes the teacher the best

Is when you love your students and your job.

That is what makes you the best in the class.

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Photo Flick Nr. 69: Gun Ban Now Part I

220 shootings in the United States so far this year. Since 2009, there have been 209 school shootings, like the latest one in Uvalde, Texas on May 24th of this year. An 18-year old entered Robb Elementary School with several weapons, including an AR-15, and opened fire on the class, killing 19 children and two teachers before being gunned down by police. The husband of one of the slain teachers died a broken heart during a vigil no more than a day later. It was the worst shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, where 26 people were peppered with bullets and killed- 20 of them were children! If this does not make a person angry, then this will.

Since the shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, more than 311,000 students have been exposed to gun violence in schools, counting that incident. If we include all of the numbers, the results are more than sobering! Since Columbine, we’ve had 394 shootings, resulting in 1080 people dead and 2200 people injured. And that’s not counting the number of families of these victims. Every shooting has involved automatic weapons and every shooting has one common variable that makes us angrier when a shooting happens:

The National Riflemen Association is involved. The politicians waivers and points fingers at all the other factors except for guns. In other words, they turn a blind eye. All the gun supporters go up in arms and intimidate those who want reform. Families are living in fear- fear for their children and the fact that they may never see them grow up. Couples are delaying or foregoing having families because of this fear. And many tourists are avoiding the States because of this increase in armed aggression.

Is this the America we want? The answer is no.

It’s time we start talking. It’s time we ban the sale of weapons of any sort. If you want to hunt, there’s the gun club. If you talk self-defense, there are hand-to-hand combat and self-defense classes. If you talk burglary, there’s the neighborhood watch and police patrol, in addition to securing your house and property. If you want to address a problem, there are teachers, counselors and psychologists- we really should start addressing mental health. The bottom line is the gun belongs to the police, to the army, and to hunting clubs- and not being sold to anyone with no experience on how to use them. It’s time we crack down because all of the other countries are doing so and have asked us to get with the program. It’s time we crack down so that the public is safer and school can finally be used to educate the children. It’s time we crack down so that we can have families and allow our children to grow up not living in fear. It’s time we wake up, grow up and fess up.

It’s time to make America Safe Again.

For the rest of the year, the Files and sister column The Bridgehunter’s Chronicles will present this logan to make the country aware of the problem that will only get worse if we don’t address it. Copy this logo and use it wherever it is possible, to address the attention of the people that gun violence and shootings are too much and this scourge must stop, and it must stop now.

This is in line with the upcoming Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections that are happening this upcoming November and the Presidential Elections that will follow in 2024. It’s time we confront our candidates with this topic (wherever they go) and if we are not satisfied with their answers, we vote them out and replace them with those who are willing to listen to us and find ways to make America Safe Again, not only in schools and on the streets, but everywhere. It’s a problem that can neither be ignored nor be solved by arming teachers and everyone else. Guns have never been the solution nor will it ever. The same with any type of violence. Therefore it’s time to talk gun laws. It’s time to talk about making the country safe for future generations, a country that is weapon-free and prosperous.

It’s time to make America Safe Again.

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