hkronmueller

Since Sept. 11 there has been a lot of talk about heroes in our country.

It is a wonderful thing to honor those heroes who help us during our most desperate times of need, but it is important to honor those everyday heroes who humbly offer their services to us and often never receive so much as a thank you.

I'm talking about teachers.

Teachers are possibly the most altruistic beings on earth. They go to work every day to teach the children of the world, not for money or for prestige, but because they love children and what they do.

And the greatest thing about them is they touch lives.

Walk up to any person on the street and ask them who their favorite teacher was and immediately you will hear a story about Mrs. Smith the English teacher or Mr. Potter the band instructor.

If someone asked me who my favorite teacher was, I'd have to say I don't have just one. I had so many teachers positively affect me growing up it would be difficult, and unfair, to narrow the bunch down to just one.

First, there was Mrs. Thompson, my first-grade teacher. She taught me my first lesson in mortality.

Halfway through the year, Mrs. Thompson was diagnosed with cancer and had to quit teaching. I don't know whatever happened to her; all I know is when she told us she was dying she didn't treat it as something bad or scary. She taught us to enjoy every day and to be good to each other.

In middle school, one of my favorite teachers was Mr. Henkel. He was an English teacher and one of the first teachers who told me I had a knack for writing.

He assigned me to write for the school newspaper and always encouraged me to try something new.

Of the many wonderful teachers at my high school, four stand out from the rest.

There was Mrs. Needham, my sophomore and senior English teacher. I loved Mrs. Needham because she taught me to write for myself, not for others, and she graded me on my writing style, not on how the textbook said a high school student should write.

Then there was Mrs. Teague, who taught science. I took tech physics with her, which we students referred to as physics for dummies. We learned that science doesn't have to be boring and dull; it can be a lot of fun.

That lesson hit home the time she told us we were going to set cheese puffs on fire to find out how many calories they contain.

Mrs. Simmons was a great teacher too. She taught 10th-grade social studies. My friend Sara and I had her during our talkative phase and though she sent us to the hallway a few times, she never discouraged us from being ourselves or punished us from sharing our thoughts and ideas.

And then there was Mrs. Black. She taught English and literature. There is so much to say about this woman who made going to class every day seem more fun than anything.

She was a sarcastic woman and stern about her ways, but I think I learned more about literature in her class than I have in any other class since -- and I even minored in literature in college.

And finally there was Mrs. Beard. She was my photography teacher at Southeast. She is the best kind of teacher -- the kind who gets to know you as a person and not just a student.

I enjoyed her class so much, it was the only one in all my four years at SEMO that I didn't skip even once.

In today's busy world, a lot of good deeds go unnoticed and unappreciated. So, to all of my old teachers and to all the ones I've met along the way -- thank you for doing what you do. You truly are everyday heroes.

Heather Kronmueller is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.