DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... National Teacher's Week

Imagine a world where pro athletes are required to buy their own cleats... and teachers get diamond rings for being good at their jobs.

Here is the place to post the story of a teacher who made a difference in your life.
This is a thread of positivity.
Share your persona wealth here.

Mrs. Newman. She was my first grade teacher. She was the first teacher to take note of my artistic leanings. I made a drawing for her one day. The school I went to had a program for gifted kids… the young musicians, advanced readers, etc… she entered me into that group. I can still recall both the drawing I did for her, and some of the projects I did within the gifted classes. Good teachers can see a spark in their students. I’m thankful for recognizing it in me.

Mr Taylor. My seventh grade science teacher. He made class fun and interesting. Science was already a favorite subject of mine. One which I excelled in. I was typically one of the first people done taking tests in most of my classes. Often times in his class I’d finish tests so early that he’d allow me to go to the library or art room to entertain myself. Once I just turned my test over and started drawing on the back. He gave me extra credit based on my subject matter and creativity. I wouldn’t always draw on my tests after that, and he didn’t always give me extra credit when I did. But I thank him for seeing my spark and recognizing it. Regardless if it didn’t represent the class he actually taught.

Mrs.Moran. Eleventh grade commercial art (advertising and design) teacher at my vocational school. Within the first few months of me being in her class she saw my skill. By midway through the year she had me doing work outside of the assignments. Focusing me towards higher level skills that would help me go on to compete in vocational highschool competition. Every year the nations’ vocational schools had local, regional, and national level skills competitions. My junior year I competed at the locals, beating my classmates, and all the seniors in the program. Then went in to regionals, beating all the other winners from their local competitions in the NW region of Ohio’s other vocational schools. Then went to state… I didn’t place... but swore revenge. My senior year I got my revenge. I won the state competition and went on to nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There I placed in the top 10.

These three saw something in me that I continue to foster to this day.
As a matter of fact. I just pulled up to my shop and about to spend the day working on a 15’ tall robot.

Thanks teach!!

I had a sixth grade.music teacher in NE OH who was about half -nuts, but she taught me how to play the glockenspiel. There were wood, cotton and rubber mallets. I was no good at it, but she taught me to keep time with my classmates.

I had two teachers that probably had the biggest influence on my life in regards to my education. One was my high school history teacher. Retired Air force Colonel Dean Hess is one of those two. He was a very wise, compassionate man that had a way of delivering a lesson that compelled you to listen. I never knew of his former life when I was his student. He never spoke of the great things he had done. Only later did I learn much more about him that helped me understand how and why he became the person he was.

Dean Hess: The Flying Parson

https://www.historynet.com/dean-hess-flying-parson/

It's a very long article or I would have posted it. To say I feel both honored and blessed to have had him as a teacher would be a huge understatement.

Then there was my High School music teacher, Carol Wicker. Where I went to school there were only two people of color. One was a student who had been adopted by a white family when she was a baby. The other was Ms. Wicker. She made you understand that her students were people she cared about not only as students, but as people. At one point every elective class I had was in her music department. That was my freshman year in high school. I was in the freshman choir, the high school choir and the ensemble group that performed at shows to help fund raise for the music department. As such she gave me a glimpse into a first hand aspect of American culture I new nothing about. Expanded my understanding of a life and experiences I had never quite known before. It wasn't something she elected to simply tell me. It was that I asked her and wanted to know. She was a very dedicated and passionate person.

I will always remember those two and the fond memories of having them as my educators.

Thank you for starting this thread. I'm surprised it received any responses. Thanks to those who answered, as well. Education is not valued by our society like it is in many other countries. I've had the pleasure of meeting teachers, teacher aids, and other school personnel that were from other nations. The observation that I heard the most was how disrespectful American children and their parents were compared to their homelands. I know that is off topic, Clem. I just thought you might want to hear that little tidbit.

I did not have a ton of favorite teachers. Things were a bit different in the '60s and 70s than they are today. A lot of teachers were mean and would demean the students. I had a couple that I loved, like Mr. Marulli, who was a jovial little round man w/a loud voice and personality while possessing a kind heart. I had a teacher who was a lesbian that was ultra-cool. We would analyze the lyrics of Don McCLean's Bye Bye American Pie, numerous Dillon songs, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, etc. It was all very "heady" and it was cool. I loved trying to interpret the meanings of these songs. She would also suggest that if someone really wanted to cut the grass w/a pair of scissors, why should we question them if that was their choice and that it did not hurt us in any way. That bizarre scenario opened up doors to meaningful discussions about tolerance, acceptance, and diverse thinking. I knew that I never wanted to be a sheep and just bleat and babble away while following the crowd.

What might be surprising is that one of the main reasons I became a teacher is that I saw so many bad ones. I remember vowing that I would never treat children the way they treated them. I think this was in 8th grade when that revelation was born. We had one teacher in particular that reveled in a student's misery. He'd pick on someone each and every day. Making us feel small and inadequate. 8th grade is tough enough w/all the changes one is going through physically. Dude was fat. Walked w/his feet pointed out almost perpendicular from his legs, had a short hair cut that was spiked w/grease, thick eyeglasses, sweated profusely, etc. I always had the feeling he was picked on as a kid and took it out on his students. I remember thinking that I would do my best to make my students feel good about themselves and to build their self-esteem if I ever became a teacher. So, in a weird way.........the bad teachers motivated me.

One of my high school teachers.

One hand crippled, the other not far behind. Walked down the halls dragging one foot sideways beside him. No one ever made fun of him, for a few reasons: First, his passion for teaching earned respect at any age or maturity level. Next, the fact that he cared so deeply about every student and you knew it the moment you came to him with any problem. Finally, because there were a host of his fans -- mostly football players and wrestlers that would immediately take you out to the woodshed if you said anything derogatory about Mr. Corbett.

He had rheumatic fever as a child and paid for it his entire life. There was a bit of emotion in his voice when he talked of the regret of not properly serving his country in the military.


We were all deeply saddened when we learned that he passed. There was the occasional Facebook update over the previous few years as he was in a nursing home. What we learned soon after had us all in shock. You could always tell he lived well below his means. I think he literally had a M-F set of clothes that he wore the entire school year. 😄

He spent nothing on himself and in the end, gave it all back to the community he loved... and loved so much to have served.











Beloved Crestwood teacher’s $1M bequest to the community shocked Shalersville officials
WENDY DIALESANDRO·JUNE 1, 2022·5 MIN READ


Bob Corbett, a lifelong Shalersville Township resident, died March 13 in Cleveland. He never married, had no children, and no one was prepared for what came next: a $334,000 bequest each to Shalersville Township Trustees, Crestwood Local Schools and Portage Faith United Methodist Church.

“We were surprised at the amount,” Shalersville Fiscal Officer Jill Corbett said. “We had no idea.” (Jill Corbett’s husband is Clyde “Jim” Corbett, a first cousin of Bob Corbett.)

Dave Toth, superintendent of Crestwood schools, also said he was amazed.

“[The bank] wouldn’t tell me on the phone,” he said, referring to the amount of the gift. “So I went to pick it up, and I looked at it, and at first I was thinking, ‘Is this $3,300 or something like that?’ And they’re like, ‘No,’ and I’m reading it, and this is for $334,000! It was kind of shocking.”

The school board will determine what to do with the unexpected windfall, but Toth has no doubt at least some of the largesse will be steered to sports.

“I know they want to recognize him. That was an amazing donation,” Toth said.

Bob Corbett, who graduated from Crestwood High School in 1960, taught history, geography, economics and English at Southeast High School from 1967 to 1970, then returned to his alma mater to complete his career in 1988.

“He was my teacher at Crestwood High School,” Shalersville Trustee Frank Ruehr said. “I had him my freshman year.”

It didn’t take long for the class to learn that Corbett’s passion was sports, especially baseball. Lessons were sometimes sidelined by conversations about Cleveland’s — and Crestwood’s — boys of summer, but Corbett was a professional. Soon enough, the banter stopped, and class would begin again, Ruehr recalled.

First cousin Ray Corbett also remembers Bob Corbett’s passion for sports. A childhood bout with rheumatic fever left him unable to participate in games, but he would follow his beloved Cleveland teams on radio and TV. He knew his stats.

“You could ask him about any of the Indians players, and he could tell you everything about them,” Ray Corbett recalled.

It is unclear when Bob Corbett found time to indulge in his second passion, writing, but dabble he did. Though first cousin Ray Corbett does not believe his cousin’s short stories were ever published, he had heard they existed and wishes he could see them now.

What does exist is Bob’s handwritten history of the United States from Jefferson and Franklin through the Obama years, a tome measuring three inches thick. Jill Corbett and her husband are keeping it safe for the time being.

Corbett also penned a few articles for the township’s historical society newsletter, mostly memories of his Shalersville school days before the township merged into the Crestwood district, Shalersville Trustee Ron Kotkowski said.

The bequest caught all the trustees off-guard, all the more so since Corbett never lived extravagantly.

“He had a house, a car, but obviously he took care of himself, took care of his money,” Ruehr said.

To honor Corbett, the trustees plan to install “something sports-related at Shalersville Township Park,” he said.

Kotkowski, who ran into Corbett at Shalersville school alumni meetings, remembers him as a quiet man who was easy to talk to.

“He was just an upbeat, super nice guy, a very simple man,” Kotkowski said. “I don’t think he spent a lot on himself.”

Ruehr echoed Kotkowski, remembering impromptu conversations at community events.

“He was genuinely a nice person, just genuinely nice and caring. He always had time for you, always had a story. He was just a pleasant fellow,” Ruehr said.

America’s involvement in the Vietnam War put the dreams of many young men on hold. Though Bob Corbett was unable to serve, Ray did. He remembers coming home on emergency leave, only to find himself in front of Bob’s class, telling them about his experiences. Real-time history from a primary source. Teaching does not get any more relevant than that.

“His passion was to educate people and to just live a happy life no matter what,” Ray Corbett said. “He wasn’t depressed. He was always a happy-go-lucky guy.”

Besides teaching, Bob Corbett also worked in his father’s Shalersville plant nursery. He eventually took ownership of the business, then sold part of the property to a gravel company and part to a golf course developer, Ray Corbett said.

That left teaching and sports, Bob’s true passions. Not only did Bob coach high school sports, he also served as a scout, attending other schools’ games to identify their standouts.

Bob left formal education when his arthritis began to impact his job performance. Even so, he never lost his love for teaching.

“He had a couple nieces in California,” Ray Corbett recalled. “They were home-schooled, and he gave them all their history lessons. He would write them out and send them. It was something he did, and he felt great because he was helping somebody.”

Ray, Bob and the rest of the family would gather every couple months, usually to catch up at a local restaurant.

“There’s a lot of kids that we’d run into at a restaurant, and his students would come up to him and say hi to him and tell him how much they appreciated him when he was in school, being their teacher. That’s a big thing for anyone. If all your students can remember you and have good things to say about you, that’s great,” Ray Corbett said.

As the arthritis progressed, Bob Corbett devised countless work-arounds to battle his uncooperative hands.

“When we used to go out to eat, silverware was too heavy for him to handle. He carried his own plastic silverware,” Ray Corbett said. “He never got married, he knew how to take care of himself. He wanted to be independent. He was proud to be that way, he really was.”

In time, the work-arounds weren’t enough. Bob Corbett spent his last few years in assisted living before dying at age 78. He is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Shalersville.

Services were conducted March 17 by Pastor Jill Lea Scott of Portage Faith United Methodist Church, where Bob was a lifelong member.


https://theportager.com/beloved-cre...community-shocked-shalersville-trustees/

Wonderful story.