Thread by @valeriereports

.@tacomacc For years I have been trying to remember the name of this wonderful English professor who reignited my love of learning and writing over two decades ago. Can you help? (thread on #education #teaching)

https://twitter.com/valeriereports/status/1569727388191453185

Before @tacomacc I went to an expensive Catholic high school in Tacoma that will remain unnamed (cough, cough @BellarminePrep) where I had a horrible experience. I struggled with math & when one lesson was proving especially difficult, I sought extra help.

I came in at lunch each day and after school for a week. Still stumped, I finally said to my teacher: Maybe I learn differently. I'm just not getting it. Can you try to explain it differently?

Obviously annoyed, the teacher said: "If you don't get this, you're so dumb you're going to dig ditches for a living when you grow up."
My parents complained & @BellarminePrep did nothing. (We weren't big donors.) Soon after, I dropped out of high school. I believed I was stupid.

After about 18 months of alternately traveling the world and sitting on my parents' couch watching daytime TV, I realized I had to finish school and do something with my life. The Running Start program at @tacomacc allowed me to get college credit while finishing high school.

My first class at @Tacomacc was at 7:30 a.m. in the SUMMER. But the teacher of English 101 was a brash, funny part-time comedian. She was an out lesbian in the late 90s when people still were still clutching their pearls over Ellen kissing a woman on TV.

The first essay I wrote in her class came back with a full page of notes about how fantastic my writing was. After my second essay, she pulled me aside to tell me I had real talent. She gave me a ride to work so we had more time to talk about my potential, which I apparently had.

She offered to read anything I may be working on and said I had to just keep writing. This woman changed my life. She showed me what a true educator is, and she gave me back my self-confidence. She believed in me and saw something special.

I'm begging you, @tacomacc please help me find this woman (I can't remember her name)! I want to thank her and tell her that for the past 22 years her words have echoed in my head, pushing me onward, dragging words out of me when it seemed impossible.

I believe she taught English 101 at 7:30 a.m. Summer quarter in 1999. @tacomacc Can you help???

This is a thread about how you can pay a lot of money for a shit education + prestige & still end up a high school drop out. Or you can get a virtually free education + a love of learning that sets you on a path to your destiny. It all depends on the teacher.
#teachersoftwitter

I didn't go to the Ivy leagues. But I've done pretty damn well for myself, and my first step toward becoming the professional who I am today was walking into that classroom @tacomacc.
(hat tip to @WWU's journalism program, too!)

Thanks to all the wonderful #teachers out there. We love you and remember you years later - most of all for the lessons you taught us about life and our own capabilities. #PayTeachersWhatTheyreWorth #teachersoftwitter (end thread)

What i meant to say: You can pay a lot of money for a prestigious private school & still end up a disaffected high school drop out. Or you can get a virtually free education + a love of learning that sets you on a path to your destiny. It all depends on the teacher.