Good Teachers, or Great?
By Allen A. Raymond, Publisher

Did they make us laugh? Did they work us hard? Did their enthusiasm for the courses they taught wash over us – making us enthusiastic, too?

Probably all of the above, and a lot more.

The classrooms of my three favorite teachers were stimulating, lively, challenging, exciting and now, over a half century later, I still remember where I sat in their classrooms. There is no doubt about it – in my mind they were great teachers.

We seemed like partners, those teachers and I. We did things together, we made mistakes, we talked things over, we shared in our successes and we worked hard. Each was my teacher, but my friend, too.

In our living room are two 72-year-old pieces of "antique" furniture that share a common history. One is a sturdy mahogany piano bench with simple, sleek lines that is wide enough to seat two people playing duets. We store music under the seat.

The other is a three-legged, pedestal-style tilt-top end table located next to a comfortable armchair. Its tilt top is secured in a level position in order to support a reading lamp and a small plant.

When not in use, the table is tucked decoratively in a corner of the room, it's top tilted vertically for all to admire.

Those two pieces of furniture have a common history. They were made by me in 1935. I was 12 years old.

A wonderfully kind, patient and talented Manual Training teacher (by the way, what ever happened to manual training?) taught me how to make those pieces of furniture. Sadly, I do not remember his name. He was, indeed, a great teacher, and the skills he taught are with me still.

In Mr. Tuthill's high school mathematics class at Nichols School, a private day school I attended in Buffalo, NY, we didn't make furniture but we made numbers do some amazing things. With his subtle style Mr. Tuthill convinced all of us that math could be exciting, satisfying and...well, that's probably why I like financial statements and spread sheets (I know, that's odd). To survive in today's business environment – and to survive in our own personal lives – all of us need to understand numbers (we don't have to like them, but we need to understand them).

Mr. Tuthill was a great teacher; he not only taught us to understand math, but also taught us to like math. It doesn't get any better than that.

Finally, there was Mr. Verrill, my English teacher at Nichols. I've told you about him before. A laid-back intellectual giant, he was my greatest teacher in a string of great teachers. I write because he nurtured me and encouraged me to write. Bless him.

I know you are a great teacher, or why else would you read this magazine? It's for extraordinary teachers like you – great teachers who struggle day and night to make this world a better place.

I think about that – and about you – every day of my life.

P.S. For an exciting report on what happened when great teachers (and great administrators) restructured a school in Highland Park, MI, click here.

Allen Raymond is the Editor/Publisher for Teaching Pre K-8.

January, 2007, Vol.37, No.4