Weighing Our Words: The Impact of a Teacher

Last week I heard that a former professor of mine had passed away. Gloria Goris Stronks was a legend, and she influenced an entire generation of Christian teachers. Hearing about her death impacted me more than I would have expected. I'm not exaggerating at all when I say that I am a professor today because of her influence in my life.

Dr. Gloria Stronks

Gloria was one of my professors when I was studying for my Master's degree in curriculum and instruction in the early 2000's. She taught an advanced educational psychology course that helped me clarify and refine my understanding of who my middle school students were, and taking that course shaped my teaching practice (and me personally as well!) for ever after. I was more intentional about connecting with students, about getting to know them as unique individuals, and about tailoring my teaching towards both students needs as well as their strengths. 

But at a personal level, Gloria also influenced me in an incredible way. She kept me after class one day, and very seriously said, "Dave, have you ever thought about becoming a professor? You should!" This was the first time that this idea ever even crept into my mind. I was perfectly happy as a middle school science teacher, and sort of figured I would keep doing that for a long time. But Gloria saw something in me that I didn't see in myself, and her comment stuck with me. Later, when I had the opportunity to teach a course as an adjunct instructor, I gave it a whirl, largely because of this conversation with Gloria. And one thing led to another...and after six year of adjuncting, I took on a full-time position in higher ed...and here I am, nine years later. In that conversation with Gloria all those years ago, her comment to me was something along the lines of, "You are clearly making a difference in the lives of your students. But what if you were teaching teachers? Think of how that difference ripples out to so many more students!" That was a compelling vision for me, and one that expanded the way I pictured what was possible for me--and maybe a bigger view of the way I could use my talents to serve in Christ's kingdom.

I shared the news of Gloria's passing with my colleagues in the department, and (perhaps not surprisingly) two of them shared that Gloria had similar conversations with them at pivotal moments in our professional careers--she saw gifts in promising teachers, named them, and encouraged us to take bold steps that we might not have taken otherwise.

All of this has me thinking about the role teachers play in their students lives, and weight of teachers' words--for good, or for ill. If you're a teacher, and you're taking the time to read this, I hope that hearing this story has you reflecting on the way you speak into your students' lives. What gifts do you see in them? Do you name them? Do you encourage them to take bold steps? 

Teachers, let's not take our words lightly. Taking an example from Dr. Stronks, let's encourage students to use their gifts and talents, and challenge them with bigger visions of what is possible for them than they might currently imagine for themselves. Who knows what impact your words might have, teacher!