I owe thanks to my teachers

by J. Patrick Reilly

I personally saw 17 first days of the school year.  Except for the first one, I looked forward to it.

My first first day was scary.  I was a farm kid who did not really know anyone because after all it was kindergarten.  I plopped myself in front of the teacher’s desk expecting her to protect me and take away my fears.

Guess what. She did.  Soon I was making friends and playing with others.  From that point on I did not mind the first day of school.

It took awhile before I and others learned there are bullies in the world.  Lucky for me I grew fast and strong.  I could handle myself and while I was not a fighter on the inside no one wanted to take a chance and find out.  I only had to deck one person to let it be known I wasn’t interested in being pushed around.  He became one of my good friends when I showed him being a bully does not have many benefits.

I really feel I owe a lot to my teachers, especially my first, who got me headed toward liking school.  It was a great start that resulted in a diploma and later a degree.

So as the year starts, be thankful there are people who chose to teach, to influence young people and to help them both get a start on life which creating a path to move forward.

Most of my teachers are no longer with us but for those of us still roaming the earth, they played a big part in our successes.

Thank you teachers, both  past, present and future.