Take time to thank a teacher for going that extra distance to help you learn

If former teachers like Wilma K. Dedman or Sister Mary Regina were around today, I would want to hug them and thank them for helping me see the skill sets I had as a child.   And, that brings me to my wife, Jackie.  Like those two teachers, she's not a clock puncher in her classroom.  She goes, to borrow an overused pun, the extra mile.

As I blog this, my wife is down in Corpus Christi with her students from San Antonio Madison for the National Oceanic Science Bowl.   For the past school year, she's been prepping her students twice a weekfor this event that is similar to Jeapoardy or for those who are truly ancient (like me), the College Bowl.

What amazes me is that my wife does this without extra compensation.  Since the NOSB is not a UIL sanctioned event, her district doesn't give her an extra stipend.  For the last 10 to 15 years, she's been the NOSB advisor without additional pay.

To Jackie, her true reward is the advancement of her students who go to college and pursue scientific studies in college and post graduate work.  The payoff is the couple of times when she runs into her former students in public every year, and they come up to hug and thank her for helping them as high school students.

So, if you see a former high school teacher that make an impact, make sure to tell them how they helped your career or life.   It makes them feel that their effort is worth it.