Today's post is about teachers who shine.

Empathy.  Ms. Jahoda was my fourth grade teacher.  Actually, she was my other fourth grade teacher.  I attended one week of fourth grade at P.S 98 before transferring to St. Aloysius where classes were smaller.  I'm dyslexic and my parents were convinced that a parochial school, with its smaller classes, would provide greater support than larger public school classes.

What they didn't know was how hard the first day at St. Aloysius was for me.  I arrived at the classroom late, due to the formalities of getting registered.  I did not have my school uniform yet, so to make matters worse, I stuck out like a sore thumb while making the long walk to my newly assigned seat.  In an effort to help me fit in, Ms. Jahoda thrust me right into the middle of that day's Religious Studies lesson.  One minute she was welcoming me to the classroom and the next minute she was asking me to tell the class what a pew was.

I had no idea what a pew was.

My mother is Catholic, but my father is Jewish.  It meant I did not grow up in a particularly religious family.  We celebrated mostly Christian holidays, primarily I think because holiday celebrations were my mother's responsibility and Christian holidays is what she knew.  The one exception was the mean Matzah that Grandma Kamhi made each Passover.

I had no idea what a pew was, so I sat frozen in my seat.  Every kid in the class had their eyes glued on me while I sat paralyzed with fear.  After what seemed like a considerable amount of time, Ms. Jahoda let someone else answer and I could finally breathe a deep sigh of relief.

The next day my mother sent a note to Ms. Jahoda explaining that I had never been to church before and asking her to be sensitive as I learned my way around Catholic doctrine.

Ms. Jahoda had great empathy.  She knew I felt like I stuck out and she went to great lengths to help me fit in.  She selected me for special tasks, assigned me to class projects with girls she thought I could be friends with, and even chose me to do a special reading at First Friday mass.

Thirty-four years later, memories of that first day in Ms. Jahoda's classroom are as vivid as if they happened yesterday.  But so are my memories of her empathy.  

Teachers who shine change our lives.  

We want your story about a teacher that shines.  Visit Today's Post and tell us the word best describing your teacher of choice and why.  But don't just stop there.  Forward today's post to your friends, family, neighbors, and kids.  Get everyone you know to share a descriptive word and story about the teacher they think shines.

Shining off until tomorrow...