By:Linda Sepadin
A few, however, brought back some terrific memories. Here's one that I would like to share with you.I was writing a question-and-answer advice column for another newspaper at the time. I had asked readers what they thought was the "best advice that they had received from a teacher." Here are some of the responses I received."My teacher had a poster on the wall that I read many times. It said, 'No matter how many times you hear a lie, it doesn't make it true.' To this day, I still connect that saying with what the Nazis said and did. It certainly helped shape my view of race relations and feminism.""'Success depends on what UC and C again,' were his favorite words. My teacher challenged us to dare to dream by capturing a vivid image of a desired achievement. Then he urged us to replay that image with our own natural, built-in VCR. He believed that if you reinforce a picture with mental replays, realization of your goals will be an open and shut case.""I have always remembered my teacher's words, 'If you see someone being hurt and you don't do anything about it, the chances are that they will get around to hurting you.'""When I was at a low point in my life, a wise and caring teacher guided me. The best counsel he gave me was, 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Summon up courage and courage will be your reward. Love yourself as a person of worth.'""A teacher told me of her mother's funeral and the masses of flowers that were received from sympathetic friends and relatives. She remembered how much her mother had enjoyed flowers and realized that she had not been one of those who had brought them to her while she was alive. The message to me was to 'treat those people whom you love with thoughtfulness and affection while they can appreciate and enjoy it, rather than wait till it's too late, then regret what you didn't do for them.'""The best advice I ever received from a teacher was that 'it was up to me to get what I wanted out of life. But to make it happen, I would have to believe in myself.' When I was growing up, I never felt that I was good enough. I never gave myself enough credit. But this teacher changed my feelings about myself. And that made all the difference in the world.""My teacher could see that I got easily frustrated when I couldn't figure out a problem. He told me that 'there is usually more than one way to figure something out. If you're having trouble, try another method, but never give up.'""I'd been living my life as a perfectionist, trying to please everyone. It was making me miserable. My teacher told me that 'it is impossible to please everyone. It's more important to please myself. If I felt good about myself, others would too.' I never forgot her advice.""At the time I used to get a little frustrated hearing her words, 'There's no such thing as trying, only the willingness to do it with all your know-how and effort.' But I look back on it now as great advice. There's a huge difference between saying, 'I'll try to' and 'Yes, I will.'"So you see, great teachers not only teach. They inspire. And their inspirations can make a huge difference in a young person's life and even be an inspiration for us as adults.
Linda Sapadin, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice and author of Master Your Fears: How to Triumph Over Your Worries and Get On With Your Life. She specializes in helping individuals, families and couples overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior. She invites you to visit her website at www.psychwisdom.com. © Copyright 2005
