When I was in 3rd grade, my teacher was able to look past my inglorious blonde bowl cut and appreciate my precocious vocabulary. She quickly recognized that the standard class Spelling Tests were merely testing my willingness to “go through the motions” with a cheerful attitude. This teacher’s name was Mrs. Walker.

She certainly didn’t have to, but Mrs. Walker developed personalized Spelling Tests for me. I later discovered that the words used in this customized cornucopia of delicious diction were extracted from an SAT Prep Course Word Bank. And not only did I have to spell these words, I was instructed to write stories employing the words in a contextually correct and preferably creative manner.

And I vividly recall writing sentences such as, “My pedagogue is a noxious dromedary,” which made Mrs. Walker chortle. But we both knew that my teacher was no unwholesome humped ungulate; she was an incredibly influential and special mentor who helped shape the course of my entire academic experience.

In contrast, I had other teachers who attempted to conform the creative iconoclast into a cookie-cutter automaton. I was told my writing style “would never work in college” and was instructed to robotically regurgitate their insipid instructions. Yeah, college was definitely a struggle, and my verbal communication skills were a perpetually limiting factor. Thanks, guys!

But ultimately, you and I can learn lessons from everyone. From some, I learned that I needed to respect disreputable people and tactfully navigate minefields of fragile egos. And from others, I was inspired to go above and beyond when investing in the individual well-being of people.

Both flavors of lessons are important. One gets you mentioned by name in glowing terms and leaves a lasting, life-long legacy. The other, at best, garners a disheartened and anonymous mention…an ignominious example of how NOT to steward responsibility.

Thank you, Mrs. Walker. Lesson learned