Mrs Harriet Stover, 8th grade English teacher had the greatest influence on me but never understood or appreciated just how much until many, many years later. The lessons were on poetry, yuck to most kids. I thought why should we care about what some guy wrote 500 years ago. She designed the classes whereby we read the poems either as homework or in class. Then she would ask probing questions like what was he trying to say in the poem, or what about line 15 or 22, etc,. I still kept thinking, who cares ? But then someone opened up and gave an opinion, rest of us were quiet, but then another opened up and said something different. I had read enough but didn't absorb much but thought these guys are so wrong. As more opened up it became obvious to me they were all stupid, that what I had read was nothing like what they were saying. I could see that all were getting frustrated. Mrs Stover became the referee and said a few words that calmed us down as she guided us on to the next poem.
She never told us she was teaching us how to listen to others and actually hear what they are saying and respect the opinions they have even if different than our own. But I'm confident we all figured it out years later. I later had her as English teacher in college years later and we hugged each other as I walked into class first time.
I wonder each day if these Gen Z follks could even sit in her class and discuss anything that required critical thinking and not have meltdowns at oither differing views. From what I've observed, not a chance, they are pitiful.
She never told us she was teaching us how to listen to others and actually hear what they are saying and respect the opinions they have even if different than our own. But I'm confident we all figured it out years later. I later had her as English teacher in college years later and we hugged each other as I walked into class first time.
I wonder each day if these Gen Z follks could even sit in her class and discuss anything that required critical thinking and not have meltdowns at oither differing views. From what I've observed, not a chance, they are pitiful.
