Teachers and professors are some of what I miss most about going to school. I've been fortunate to come across many who have become my friends and mentors. My favorite teachers had so much passion for their subjects of study [even the boring ones!] that it was contagious -- and I quickly caught on to their lesssons.
Mr. Clausen affirmed my love for writing and journalism. Mr. Wilder showed me that I could love and be good at science -- chemistry, to be specific. Mr. Miller made math fun, which you know is a huge accomplishment if you know any journalist. And that's just high school. Don't even get me started on the faculty at TCU.
So you can imagine my pleasure and nostalgia when I learned that Allen teachers are offering the same type of learning experience to their students.
Sandy KulKarni, a chemistry teacher at Allen High, received a letter from one of her students at the last day of school. The same student who yelled at her early in the school year saying, "I hate science and I hate you," wrote that the he/ she fell in love with science that year. Read the rest of her story here.
And at Kerr Elementary, principal Ardath Streitmatter encourages her staff to first reach into the hearts of their students in order to reach their minds. Ashley Weller, who teaches the gifted program at the school, posted her account of how she and her colleagues are making a difference in not only the lives of their students, but also the community at large.
These teachers have figured out that teaching isn't a just a science. There's a reason we have teachers and not just textbooks and computers taking over their jobs.
And of course, look for Ashley's story in this Friday's print edition. In case you haven't heard yet, posting online leads to getting in print.
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