teachers...

Teachers have been on my mind lately.  I do believe teachers are underpaid and underappreciated, and I would like to appreciate a few that have made an impact on my life.

1.  Dent Yarbro - I will admit that I had a bit of a crush on him as a little sixth grader.  Not only was he a great English teacher, he also encouraged and gave us all positive reinforcement.  He made me feel like an English expert.  I tried, in the past, to find him to send a letter of appreciation, but I have had no luck.  Maybe one day he'll google himself and see this post.  He taught at Fifth Consolidated Elementary School and then went on to become the principal at Dyer County High School in Tennessee.  I believe he retired as the Superintendent of Dyer County Schools. 

2.  Larry Russell - Adamsville High School science teacher.  I really enjoyed him as a teacher, and I learned a lot. I owe him helping to spark an interest in chemistry that continued all the way to college where I majored in Chemistry.  Looking at the AHS website, I see he's no longer teaching. 

3.  Dr. Anthony Harmon - University of Tennessee at Martin professor.  He, too, took his retirement this past spring and has moved back to OK to be closer to family.  He was instrumental in showing me the way to a career in pharmacy, one I had not considered.  I remember telling him I was interested in research but he reminded me gently that I was an extrovert.  I might go crazy in a lab!  He was right...  Thanks to him, I am a pharmacist.

You know time is passing when all three of your influential teachers are now retired.  I hope the ones that replaced them are at least half as good!  What an impact all three of them made upon my life.