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class?" I felt so proud that he knew my name, that he cared to ask my opinion. Naturally, I excelled in his class.
Through the years, I have seen this lesson reinforced over and over: The most effective teachers are those who know their students, who address them by their names, who are aware of their problems, and who let the students know that they are appreciated, even when they act up. For some teachers, this comes naturally; others require guidance. I have rarely met a teacher, however, who didn't want to do a good job.
Once when I was a history teacher, a ninth-grade girl woke me with a phone call to my home. She said that her mother had just died and her father had left the house, leaving her alone with her mother's body and three small brothers. "I'm scared," she said. "Would you come over and stay with us until my father returns?"
I did. First, I covered the mother's body. Then I helped the little boys go to bed. Finally, my student and I sat in opposite chairs and talked. Some four or five hours later, the father returned, offering no explanation for his absence.
My point is this: I was more than a history teacher to this girl. I was a caring adult. As she grew up, married and had children of her own, my actions on the night of her mother's death probably meant more to her than anything I had taught her about history. This is part of being an educator too. This is why some of the students I taught thirty or forty years ago still write to me.
Returning to the test issue, I used to ask parents who complained about their child's ignorance whether the parents would be willing to take the same test as their child took and to let us compare the scores. Few took me up.
Rappahannock's schools are good. I have followed several graduates who have done well in leading universities. I also help my 8-year-old grandson with his homework, which allows me to see how well his Rappahannock teachers are doing.
We shod Id be supporting our schools with our time and money, helping them to improve, instead of attacking them.
BERNIE PRICE
Woodville
96.0%