Mr. Wilson had a law degree when he was
my 7th Grade teacher at St. Luke’s in Lakewood, Ohio. He was teaching
a religion class but the most valuable lesson he offered was a study method he
called SQ3R (Study, Question, Read, Write and Review). By following Mr.
Wilson’s system you couldn’t help but learn. (That’s an eye opener in seventh
grade! Well, it was for me.)
Dom Battalglia was my High School
instructor in commercial art. He demonstrated the importance of delivering on
time and being able to articulate how your solution matched the assignment. Practical
work stuff.
Coach Cousineau believed in me in High
School. He recognized me as a team leader. I wasn’t the biggest, toughest or
most talented. Coach Cousineau’s son (Tom) played high
school football for St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio and was one of
the most highly-recruited football players in the country in his senior year. Unlike
his son, I didn’t go on to play college and professional football but I learned
a lot in the course of our 8-2 season. Lesson: even ordinary people can achieve
extraordinary things. Go Rangers!
Gene Massin taught drawing classes at
the University of Miami. Something he repeated often inspired the artist in us
all. “Maybe you came here to learn to draw. I am not going to teach you to
draw. I’m going to teach you something more important. I am going to teach you
to SEE.” An so he did.
Lester Goran taught creative writing and
literature classes at the University of Miami. His lessons on story-telling and
how to engage readers were reinforced with examples from classic literature. It
was Professor Goran who encouraged me to pursue the position of associate
editor of my college yearbook. That vote of confidence meant a lot coming from
him.
Teachers, coaches and mentors with the
greatest impact go above and beyond the scope of the coursework. Consider those
personal heroes in your life: The teachers, role models and the lessons you
take with you. Be inspired and inspire.
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