Thursday, August 5, 2010

10-Year Blessing Certificate

Weeks ago a good friend of mine, Nat Queen, had a wonderful reunion with our 8th Grade English teacher, Mrs. Schweitzer. They gave me a call from Washington, DC as they sat enjoying lunch. As I got the chance to thank Mrs. Schweitzer for coming into my life 42 years ago, I mentioned to her my belief that teachers get a 10-Year Blessing Certificate. 10 years after they come into a child’s life, that child will have a different appreciation for what they shared.


Not every child gets the chance to say thank you to the many who sacrificed through their character development. Not every teacher gets the chance to experience that euphoria of being thanked. Mrs. Schweitzer told me about a colleague who was recognized by a waitress, who lauded over how she remembered her from 4th Grade. The waitress got the chance to treat the teacher like the celebrity she deserved to be.

With the help of the internet, Nat had tracked and reconnected with Mrs. Schweitzer after all these years, because she was the teacher who recommended him for a scholarship through the ABC (A Better Chance) Program. ABC sends inner city students to private high school, local or boarding. The 4 years Nat spent away at Lawrenceville School made a difference in his life. He’s a Harvard graduate who has worked in the banking industry, traveling back and forth between New York City and London, England… and is now an Episcopal Lay Minister.

I am an ABC alum as well. My school, Cranwell School in Lenox, Massachusetts, sparked my interest in upgrading the literary skills I now hone to make me a better writer, speaker and communicator… in retrospect, serving me well through my Wall Street Journal career. I shall now begin my search for Georgina Land, my 8th Grade Science teacher who recommended me to the ABC Program while I was in the 9th Grade.

I also thank Mr. Alexander, Mrs. Monroe, Mr. Rush, Mrs. Nonenbacker, Mrs. Klein, Mr. Foote, Ms. Saroka, Mrs. Fisherman, Mr. Smith, Ms. Wilson, Ms. Prince, Mrs. McCauley, Ms. Caldwell, Mr. Ceroni, Mr. Block, Mr. Plasse, Fr. Keegan, Fr. Farrell, Fr. Grogan, Mr. Rooney, Mr. Hart, Ms. Goings, and I’ll probably think of other teachers after posting this blog.

Who are some you’d like to thank? Feel free to post reasons as well.

The ABC Program is alive and well, now operating out of New York, NY. To learn more about the program go to www.abetterchance.org

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Master of Listening

The Master of Listening
... and Smiling