Teacher Inspired, teaching and learning at it's best.

A freshman English teacher's observations and actions became a pivotal time of my life. I had received an F on a test about Romeo and Juliet. As the teacher handed me my paper, she said, " obviously, you did not read the assignment." I replied " yes I did but it was so boring." With a slightly angry voice she exclaimed, " Shakespeare is never boring and perhaps you could do better? "

I did not say anything more because I saw it was time for me to shut up. That very day after school, I went home and began re-writing the story of Romeo and Juliet. I was up until after midnight writing the story on how I thought it should be. My story was of Romeo and Juliet in 1970. I believe the story was about 14 pages when I finished.

The following day, I gave the story to my teacher. She had a very surprised look on her face as she said, " I will take it home tonight and read it." The very next day, she handed me my story and a big blue A- was at the top. She asked me if I would get up in front of the class and read it and noted for me to not read the curse words.

I read my story and the whole class laughed throughout the reading. Having Romeo and Juliet depicted as hippies was just too funny. After I finished, the teacher asked me if she could keep the story and I gave it back to her. As I handed the story to her, she smiled and whispered," Tom, you can be a writer." I can still see her face and can still hear her voice. I heard that years later, she would read my story to her college students.

One little moment of a whisper from a good teacher that I could be a writer changed my life from that day forward. I began writing poetry and songs. I learned to play the guitar because I loved writing songs. I found myself making money in bands throughout my early years.

Later in life I would move to Nashville and take my shot at the business. I mingled and wrote with great writers while learning with every step. It took six years for me to realize that I just couldn't write the way they wanted me to write. I left many good friends behind in Nashville and will always treasure the experience.

I co-wrote a song called "Sailing to the Port of Heaven" with a friend of mine from Nashville a while back. He recorded the song and released it on his album. He called me up one day and told me that a friend of his would play our song every day on his way home from work. His friend told him that the song gave him peace at the end of his tremendously stressful days at work. The man who played the song for peace was a Colonel in charge of wounded soldiers coming home from Iraq. The preceding story is just one of my favorite rewards of writing.

I think of my English teacher often when I write. I did track her down recently and thanked her. She did remember me and told me that she had wondered about me over the years. It was great to hear that she was still teaching! I believe that a student must show promise through effort before a teacher can recognize the talents of a student. She recognized that I had some talent in writing and she acted upon it by telling me so. She cared enough to see it and say it. If she hadn't, you wouldn't be reading my story.