Memoir
/ˈmemˌwär/ noun. a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation. Usually memoirs. an account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography. the published record of the proceedings of a group or organization, as of a learned society.
Teachers. I can’t think of many people in our society that are more underappreciated and underpaid. We entrust the future of our entire civilization to these amazing people yet, here in America, sometimes they must spend their own meager salary to buy children school supplies. Teachers can make a real difference, and I imagine this is what attracts them to the profession and keeps them going despite all of the many challenges. This prompt for me was special, it allowed me to talk about one of my favorite teachers in all my years of school, Mr. Morgan.
Memoir Monday has grown so much that I won’t be able to comment on everyone’s posts anymore (and get my own work done) but I’ll still be supporting your posts with reblogs, votes, and shares on my other social media accounts (X, Facebook, etc.).
For all of those who’ve regularly participated in Memoir Monday - keep going, you’re making great progress in chronicling your very own life story for future generations to enjoy.
For those who missed the inaugural post explaining what the Memoir Monday initiative is all about you can find it here.
Now for next week’s Memoir Monday prompt:
Write about a favorite teacher.
My answer:
In our lifetimes, if we’re fortunate, we encounter one or two strangers who leave a deep, positive mark on us. I've been lucky enough to meet several such people. One of them was Mr. Morgan, my seventh-grade English teacher.
It was the final stretch of summer before seventh grade, and I was doing my best to savor the last carefree days, though the dread of the new school year was beginning to overshadow the fun. I was about to start my second year at Eastmoor Middle School, and a chill ran through me as I opened the letter with my class assignment. I had been placed in Mr. Morgan’s English class.
Mr. Morgan had a reputation among students as one of the toughest, no-nonsense teachers in the entire Columbus Public School system—a reputation I would soon find to be well-deserved.
As the photo above illustrates, I was a shy, skinny, and awkward twelve-year-old at the time. My grades were excellent—mostly straight As—and while I often found myself daydreaming in other classes, I still struggled with one significant hurdle: self-confidence.
From the very first day, I could tell Mr. Morgan was different from other teachers. Even by the early 1980s, discipline was becoming an issue in Columbus public schools, but Mr. Morgan addressed this directly. In that first class, he said, “I’m not a babysitter. If you’re not here to learn, you’re welcome to leave right now.” And he meant it. He didn’t tolerate any disrespect or nonsense and would send a student to the principal in a heartbeat.
As the year went on, I noticed that Mr. Morgan had a unique gift for identifying what each student needed. He began calling on me more often, which gradually helped me overcome my shyness. Sometimes, he’d even ask me to come up to the blackboard to explain parts of the lesson to the class. Little by little, my confidence grew.
Before long, I was participating in class naturally and regularly. I ended up getting an A in his class, but he made me work for it. I can’t remember a single day when I was bored in his class; in fact, I felt energized and excited to walk through his door each day. At the end of each successive semester, Mr. Morgan would say, “Well, Mr. Walton, you got an A out of me again!” and laugh.
Our relationship developed into as close a friendship as was possible for a student and teacher back then. I started the year terrified of him but finished it saddened that I would no longer be in his class. Over the years, I’ve realized just how much Mr. Morgan’s mentorship helped prepare me for the challenges of adulthood. I will always be grateful to him for instilling in me a confidence I had never felt before and for teaching me that both my physical voice and my writing voice is worth hearing. I don't think my life would have turned out quite the same without Mr. Morgan in it.
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I absolutely agree with you about how underpaid and undervalued teachers are. They're in charge of shaping the future of children and ultimately society, yet in many instances, it's a thankless job!
A teacher can make or break a child!
I'm glad you had Mr. Morgan for English, what a blessing that was!
Funny my English teacher in Primary school also made a big impression on me.
I hope you're enjoying your new home Eric🤗
It's insane that their value hasn't been recognized on a larger scale. In a just world they'd be making much more money and be more appreciated than they are. Maybe that will happen sooner or later. It was certainly a blessing for me! It's hard to say where I would have ended up without that shot of confidence. What was your teacher's name? Thank you, Lizelle, we're spending the night there at the new house for the first time next Monday (11/18). We can't wait!
Teachers in my country still have the similar problems. Rather than treating them with kid gloves, they are appointed as a teacher much later the university and they are faced with low salary.
As for my favorite teacher, he was my English teacher. He was with us till we graduated from the high school. If I am able to write in English on HIVE today, it is also thanks to him 🫶
Unfortunately, I learnt that he is still working as a teacher despite being at his 60s :/
I'm sorry to hear the situation is similar in your country! Thankfully good people are still willing to make the sacrifice to teach. I'm happy to hear your teacher made such a positive impact on you! It's common here in the US for teachers to work well into their 60's and sometimes beyond.
Teachers definitely aren’t appreciated enough. They go through so much stress with some of the kids.. I have a good memory of a few of my teachers :). Even after so many years passed, we’re still in contact. You just can’t forget people that helped you so much.
I, honestly, don't know how teachers handle some of the kids here in America. Some of them have never known discipline or even the meaning of the word "no". That's great that you're still in contact with your teachers!
Same situation in Croatia.. there’s an active problem with one boy in my past middle school. No one can stop him from making problems 🫠. I feel like some parents send their kids to school and expect the teachers to be their nannies and raise their kids
Sick s*it.
Yeah ://. Underpaid job and overworked people
Unfortunately...
Teachers like Mr Morgan are rare, even rarer now that the educational system is no longer what it once was. Mr Morgan did a great job in helping you develop and grow as a student and for that you will ever remember and appreciate him. Teachers are meant to fill in where parents can't and that's exactly what Mr Morgan did. The disciplinary attitude of teachers can be a problem at times for students but as they grow they understand. Thanks for writing. Have a great day.
That seems to be the case. Standardized testing has ruined the educational system here in America. The focus has shifted to making sure everyone passes to the next grade whether they are capable it or not. We have kids graduating high school who can barely read.
Beautiful story.
It reminds me of my teacher of the last 2 years of primary school, who let me write stories and illustrate them, in little books ( that I still own ), during the hours when I was still in school but had no more work to do. As I was quicker than most classmates.
I got in touch with her last year, for the first time in decades ( my mom who still lives in the same city, managed to find her home address for me and I sent my former teacher a signed copy of my 'Hypersensitivosaurus and Cold Turkey' book. She replied to me by email and was clearly very happy to hear from me and said that she still recognized my style and humor, 3 decades later.
She was one of the few people who really believed in my creativity and expected me to become a writer.
Teachers can truly be inspirational and those who are sure compensate for the many that aren't.
That's wonderful that you were allowed to create and not have to sit there and be bored. People who cross our paths like that are true gifts.
First of all, I am grateful for the selection of this topic because I am a teacher by training and I have been a teacher for 30 years of my life, and I can assure you that my greatest achievements have come from there.
The pay and social recognition of these teachers is insignificant compared to the work they do and the responsibility they have in their hands in shaping the future of society.
Reading your post made my eyes misty because my best teacher or professor has meant so much in my life and is one of the special human beings I have ever known.
Thank you for this wonderful idea.
Happy week.
Cheers and best regards.
The sense of accomplishment you must feel when you realize you've made a difference in a student's life has to be massively rewarding. You're welcome and I thank you for joining us in Memoir Monday! Have a wonderful rest of the week.
Hahahaha, I was teacher for years... :D
What subject did you teach?
Croatian language and literature :)
Oh that's right! You taught a friend of mine, I believe (Oz)?
Yeah 🤣 OZ was my student who btought me here in August 2016. Thanks, OZ :)
He's a great guy. I don't hear from him much anymore but we have some great stories from "the old days" of crypto!
I heard him a few weeks ago. He has some works at home and after that we will go for a drink. I will tell him that we had a chat about mutual friend :)
I was very touched by your story, Eric! As a teacher, I must say that it is a source of pride that a student remembers us as you remember your teacher Morgan. In the end, as I tell my students, the only incentive we teachers have is not the salary or the awards, because as you rightly say they are pyrrhic, it is the knowledge that our students acquire. In my academic life I have had many teachers who have marked me positively, (also negatively). It will be difficult to choose just one, but it will also be a real pleasure to know who sowed the seed more deeply. A nice Tuesday, my friend. Hugs
Teachers can make such a huge difference! I'm sure you've made a positive impact on many of your students. If the salaries were higher I wonder if it would attract the wrong kind of people into the profession? I've never thought about that before but I can't help but wonder. Thank you and I hope you're having a wonderful week!
He sounds like one of the good ones for sure. My favorite teacher was probably Mrs. Martin. She taught freshman biology and she was just really cool. Probably the nearest part was later on I eventually started working back at my old district as the network administrator, so many of the teachers were now colleagues for me and I got to know them in a totally different light.
He certainly was. He had a real knack for identifying the kids who wanted to learn and exactly what those kids needed. That's amazing that you were able to get to know the teachers in another aspect after graduating. Not many people can say that.
Very touching story about you and your favorite teacher, Eric. He is indeed a great teacher. Did you meet him after you became a successful writer, Eric? Hopefully he remains healthy in his old age.
Thanks Eliana! Unfortunately, he passed away before I became successful. I like to think he still knows though.
You had such a good teacher. I had a teacher which I love because he helped me when there was no one to help. And another thing about him is that he kept excelling in his career as I was advancing in my academics
I was very lucky (and it sounds like you were too)!
Really I was!😃 Mr Akpan helped me a lot in understanding my sciences.
Unfortunately, it seems to be true everywhere in the world. I also had several teachers who had a great impact on my life and helped me grow, evolve, and transform. OK, so my favorite one: I'll go with Mr. Schulerus, my chemistry teacher. I was in the maths-physics class, and we had chemistry thrice weekly. He was super tough but insanely good at explaining complex structures and sophisticated topics. While most of my colleagues were afraid of him, I found his style fascinating. His classes were the only ones where I walked away, remembering almost everything. His approach to teaching, even if highly controversial, has benefited me tremendously as I continued my path in the business world, esp. in the realm of negotiations.
Excellent! Looking back, it was always the "tough" teachers that made the most impact with me. Mr. Schulerus sounds like an amazing teacher!
Ooops! I was prepring to write on the recurrent dream theme and we are here with another prompt. How quickly time flies and a week passes in a blink of an eye.
With regards to teachers, I agree that it's one of the most undervalued job and unfortunately, as the time is passing, I am observing a deterioration in the respect given to the teachers. Some teachers are so amazing that they leave a lasting impact in our lives.
There's no time limit to the prompts. You can respond to past Memoir Monday prompts at any time.
Our public education system here in the US is in shambles in most cities/districts. It's interesting to hear this is a fairly common thing across the world.
Wow, what a touching and inspiring reflection! It’s wonderful to see how Mr. Morgan played a pivotal role in your journey from a shy and unsure student to a confident individual ready to take on challenges. His approach to teaching that commands respect while nurturing potential truly epitomizes what great educators can do.
Your story highlights the power of mentorship and the profound impact a teacher can have on a student’s life. It’s wonderful that you not only excelled academically, but also formed meaningful relationships that endured beyond the classroom. It’s clear that Mr. Morgan believed in you, and that belief helped you find your voice. Thank you for sharing this wonderful memory; it’s a reminder of how important it is to support and lift each other up on our journeys!👏
There was something almost militaristic about Mr. Morgan. His class was a little like military boot camp (in a good way). Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed the blog!
Do I even remember how importance my teachers were to me? I know most of them encouraged me to pursue my education more than any other thing.
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I remember many of my teachers fondly. It was my freshman math teacher who taught me to play chess, and the game stayed with me forever. Later I also taught my students, but perhaps I will explain that in my publication for this wonderful initiative. Thank you for the proposal dear @ericvancewalton . A big hug from Maracay.