Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Thank A Teacher
March 21, 2006
Larry Polyak, Scoutmaster

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said "If you can read this.... thank a teacher!"

...because there is a teacher somewhere that taught you to read... get it?

In my book, teachers don't get the credit they deserve. My wife Karen is a teacher. Her first teaching job in California was in a Special Education class in Sunnyvale. She had just about the rottenest group of kids you could imagine. They included kids who had just been released from juvenile detention centers. Every day she came home so tired she had to take a nap to relax and unwind for a while. I think that's because she put so much effort into it. She really tried hard to build up the kids' self esteem so they could feel better about themselves. She didn't get many thanks back then. It was all she could do to maintain order in the class and get through the day.

A couple of weeks ago she went to a store to pick up some items that were on order. She told the young man behind the counter that there should be something ready to be picked up for Karen Polyak. He looked at her for a few seconds and said "Were you a teacher at Hollenbeck school?" She said: "Yes, why?" He said "You used to be my teacher. My name is Adrian." She said "Oh yes, I remember you now Adrian, how are you?" Adrian had been in that first rotten class more than 20 years ago. He said, "Well I wasn't doing so good, but I am doing better now. I am afraid I wasn't a very good student in your class. You see... back when I was in grade school my Dad used to beat me. My home life was really messed up. It was really hard to concentrate on schoolwork. I never did graduate from high school, but I got away from my Dad, married a nice girl and have a job now. You were the only person who believed in me back then. Thank you."

They talked some more. Karen encouraged him to go back and get a high school equivalency diploma some day. He said he was thinking about doing that.

Adrian doesn't have a lot of money. He doesn't have a fancy house or a fancy car. But he is a success. He overcame great odds and could have easily fallen into a life of crime, alcohol, or drugs. But he didn't, and although it took 20 years, Karen now knows that she was a small part of his success.

So thank a teacher. Thank one now, so that they know they are appreciated. Maybe it will give one of them the strength to get through another day, to know that their efforts are worthwhile.

Thanks for listening.