The Teacher That Made a Difference in My Life #ThankaTeacher

It’s no secret we love teachers at Steve Spangler Science. Ask anyone and they will share a story about a teacher who made a difference in their life. Whether it was motivating to rise above, helping to understand a difficult concept or just offering hugs and support at the right time, teachers make a lifelong impact.

In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week and #ThankaTeacher day, some of our staff members share their favorite teacher memories…

A teacher that created memorable, take note moments in class was my high school calculus teacher, Mr. McKinney. Despite his continuous attempts, could not inspire a love of math in me, but did give me an appreciation. And drilled his message into my distracted high school mind. He was the only math teacher in my entire education, that brought real life into math problems. We didn’t fall asleep during Mr. McKinney’s class…he dressed up as Mr. Roger for one lesson; for another on limits, he danced to “Take it to the Limit” by the Eagles. Even though these lectures were over 20 years ago, and I still remember them. Now that’s a memorable math lesson!
– Susan Wells, Marketing Manager

I was attending Arapahoe High School in 2004. If it wasn’t for Ms. Mckovsky, my senior year English teacher that year, I would have never passed. I was an un-interested kid who just needed a little push. Her hands-on approach taught her students how to make a magazine, while being taught english along the way. Not only did she help me, but she still influences my drive today. Her one-on-one contributions and loving attitude helped me rise above my challenges in life my senior year. Keeping me going even now at 28 with a 3.5 GPA in college. I wish there was a way i could have told her this then. It just took a couple years to really see the influence she had on my life. So thank you Ms. Mckovsky!
– Brian Weiss, Customer Service Representative

My favorite teacher was my High School English teacher, Ms. Julian. What I remember the most about her was how engaged with the class she was. Every day you felt how much she cared about us as individuals. She had very good boundaries with her personal life (we all thought she was covered in tattoos from her days as a biker – but we would never know), and yet was very open with her thoughts and enjoyment with the world around her. She brought in little tidbits of nature (cool rocks or tree knobs) that she rotated in and out of the classroom. As a student I often lumped my teachers in the category of “people I can’t relate to” – focused only on one aspect of my education – she did not fit into that category. Even when she had bad days, she was good at communicating her expectations of us so that we felt comfortable abiding by them, and somehow that communication made her even more relatable. Ms. Julian was the kind of individual the you could not compare to any other. Wholly unique, honest, and true to herself, she actively inspired us to be as well.
– Anne Rimmer, Product Manager

I was truly blessed to have so many amazing teachers and have good memories about all of them. My third grade teacher really stood out and still does to this day. I really connected with Ms. Boyes and thought she was the greatest person I had met in all my eight years. A few years later when she changed her name to Mrs. Parmely, I was honored to be a candlelighter in her wedding. When I was in high school, I spent a few weeks with her family in Washington as a nanny. We’ve kept in contact through the years and even met for coffee when she was in town.
– Susan Wells, Marketing Manager

We will be sharing additional #ThankaTeacher stories this week on our blog. Who was the teacher in your life that made an impact? Share your story in the comments below.