I'm going to ask my small group of readers to share a bit with others on the blog. You can send your notes to me, or leave them using the comments function. You can email me directly through the link at right or click the comments link below. The questions are: Who was your favorite teacher and why? What qualities did he or she bring to the job of teaching that made him or her stand out? Was that teacher in school, or before or after?

This may be a bust. Who knows whether there will be anyone in the small group of readers willing to take time to respond. Or it may be too much! I have so many teachers in and out of school that could be discussed at length. They were all different. There seems to be no exacting formula. One thing I did notice was that they did let me know very clearly that they cared deeply me and my life and about something the regarded as important in theirs.

Mrs. Mummert was my 6th grade teacher. I moved with my family to Omaha, Nebraska when my father was transfered by the company he worked for. I had a thick southern accent, having grown up to that point in Memphis, Tennessee and deep southern Mississippi, so it was a challenge to fit in. Omaha is that place on earth where the English language is spoken without distinct accent. Mrs. Mummert noticed that I could write. She encouraged me to think of myself as a skilled writer and encouraged my mother to see my abilities. I don't have a clear mental image of her, but I know that her presence left a very strong imprint on my life. Anyone dare to go next? I think we can narrow down in a very short time the qualities most important for effective teaching. I'm curious also if we can draw a clear link to the hands.