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Editorial: In praise of key teachers
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Every year, certain words and themes emerge during the Henry County Schools’ Academic Excellence Awards presentations, and Thursday’s event was no different. Students who were honored for academic achievement wrote essays about the teachers who had the most impact on them, illustrating the critical role a good instructor can have on youth.
Words such as “challenge” and “caring” were used frequently. Clearly, students appreciated teachers who could both challenge them to learn and grow and, at the same time, cared about them as individuals. Some teachers were compared to mothers, with compassionate natures and high expectations.
Some teachers also won students’ admiration for urging them to dream of the future and helping them follow those dreams. Some teachers showed students how to think in new ways; some taught the students to see beyond their surroundings. They put no limits on these young people.
It must be tremendously rewarding for teachers to hear such praise, and it likely motivates them to continue to influence others. We hope it also inspires some young people to become teachers and have that kind of impact on others.
We congratulate the students who were honored Thursday and the teachers who inspired them. They all speak well of the Henry County Schools.