That person who, early on, made such a difference they changed the course of your journey?
Well, my person happened to be a teacher and during Teacher Appreciation Week, I thought it might be a good time to share my experience with this man.
Now keep in mind it has been 30 years since I was a student in Raymond Geissler's U.S. History Class during my junior year at McKeesport Area High School. I ended up having him for two classes during my high school career including economics. He was a big personality. I remember hearing his voice all the way down the hall between periods. Students would be hustling from classroom to classroom and you could hear him from one end of the hallway to the next.
As much as he was likable - he was also tough. Before a test he would give his famous speech. "If anyone is caught cheating..." I don't remember the exact wording of the speech but it contained a warning that the word cheater would be written in our permanent file "in red ink, in my handwriting."
This speech was so convincing, I couldn't even think about cheating. I felt like even if I thought about it, he would know and then my permanent file - red ink - branded for life.
Mr. Geissler taught me more than just about getting by without cheating. He also taught me about work ethic. When I took his economics class we would have daily homework but it wasn't always collected. Sometimes days would go by without him asking for proof we did the assignment.
I guess that routine gave me a bit of false comfort on the one evening I did not do my homework. The next day when he came around to collect our papers (and I remember it like it was yesterday) desperately wishing in the moment I could go back to the night before and actually complete the assignment. But, it was too late.
After class, he pulled me aside and asked me why I hadn't done the work.
I didn't have a legitimate excuse.
He told me if someone contacted him to give me a reference, prior to that day, he could say, "You could be count on her 100% of the time." But now, if someone contacted him and asked about me he would say, "You can only count on her some of the time."
I was devastated. How could I have screwed up so badly? My friends tried to help me feel better by saying he took it too far and was being overdramatic but those words ended up guiding me well throughout my life. Don't get me wrong. It is hard to live by Mr. Geissler's standards but it is nice to be thought of as dependable. I have shared that story with my children. They think it is horrible and unnecessary. I now think of it as tough love.
But my favorite memory of Mr. Geissler, is the day I decided to do an unplanned monologue in front of his class. I don't know what was going on with me that day but I was moved to raise my hand and ask if I could share an experience I had the night before. I had been studying, on my bedroom floor, and using his U.S history notebook as a coaster for a hot beverage. (Yes, this is exactly what a teacher wants to hear.) I ended up spilling the beverage but the thick cover of the notebook absorbed the liquid and no harm was done to the thin, white pages, filled with notes from class.
I guess I was inspired by Mike Myers' recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live "Coffee Talk with Linda Richman" where he would impersonate a stereotypical Jewish, middle-aged woman with an exaggerated New York accent. She would throw in some Yiddish words and when she got upset she would say, "I'm all verklempt."
Yes, I borrowed that line from Linda when I retold my story. It felt good to be in front of the class - having my classmates attention and making them laugh.
After class, Mr. Geissler pulled me aside. He had a twinkle in his eye. He told me how much he loved my story and how much he loved seeing that side of me. Prior to that day, I had never shared that side. In fact, I hardly raised my hand to participate during his class. You wouldn't even know I was there. He asked me to share that fun side of me more often.
That day, he gave me confidence and I never looked back.
My career path has included both radio and television work and I firmly believe those opportunities would not have been possible without Raymond Geissler. I will always been indebted to him for inspiring a once awkward teenager, coming off of years of bullying due to a speech impediment.
I'm sure he didn't know that day what he did for me but I have spent each day since then thankful God placed him in my life at just the right time.
So during Teacher Appreciation Week try to remember a teacher that inspired you and if you can, let them know.
A teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his influence stops. - Henry Adams, American historian.
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