Susan Lehman’s meaning remains with me today although the exact wording was lost by my aging memory long ago. My senior year was quite different for me. It was the first year I didn’t have a high school math course. I had received a 5 on the AP Calculus Exam the year before, and was taking classes at a local college at night. This left a huge hole during the day that mathematics (my strength) usually filled.
No one would have predicted that senior English would fill that hole. Every time I answered a question the reply was “Speak Up!” It wasn’t long before the whole class would chime in – but I was shy, soft-spoken, and quite unsure of myself. Then our mid-term paper was due. I had written mine about connections between art and science, relying on a couple of books by C. P. Snow as a primary source.
Miss Lehman loved it, and wrote some incredibly encouraging comments on it. It was the first time that I’d been praised for my writing, and it was a wonderful feeling. It initiated a conversation (lasting the rest of the year) about English, math, and science that featured me as the knowledgeable one – at least half the time. The experience of a teacher (of English) valuing my opinion eventually convinced me that I had something important to say. I even learned to speak up in class!
During one of those conversations, Miss Lehman uttered the words that would guide my love for learning – and communicating – the rest of my life. I was sure I understood whatever it was that we were discussing at the time, and I just couldn’t “find the right words”. She showed me I was wrong, and it changed my life.
I’ve been lucky enough to have several excellent teachers – my high school calculus teacher who taught me what real mathematics was; a college professor who showed me the beauty of mathematics developed from scratch; a seminary professor who taught me how difficult it was to write just 250 words about a topic. They have all given to me substantially.
I am who I am, though, because of Miss Lehman and her investment of time in me – and her words run through my life like Rome’s Appian Way; providing a thread connecting the diverse interests of my life and a central path that will guide – always – the way I conduct my life. My life-long thanks, dear Miss Lehman ….