God, I love my teachers.
How do I love them? Let me count the ways.
This morning, Rabbi Mordechai Cohen began class by talking about the terrible events that happened at Virginia Tech. Always soft-spoken and sweet, Rabbi Cohen says something along the lines of, "I don't know if any of your other teachers have addressed this, but..." and proceeds to discuss the value of human life, the way in which it is imperative for us to think about what has happened, and to some extent, to learn if we can, and realize how precious our lives are. The entire time I am mesmerized, simply because I finally seem to have chanced upon a teacher who feels, a teacher who cares, not exclusively about Jews but about humans on a whole. A teacher who thought it necessary to discuss this with the class.
That was my first class.
My last class was Bio Lab. Professor Aimee Luers just spent forty-five minutes to an hour, going overtime, in order to explain the fetal pig to me. See, I can't memorize. If someone shows me what looks like odd bulging vessels and random white cords, I can't suddenly attribute names to these things. I need to understand. I need to know where one organ is in relation to another; I need to see that this cord connects to that bodily structure while that one doesn't.
Knowing that, Professor Aimee Luers had the patience, tolerance and kindness to sit with me and to go over every single structure I need to know for my final, explaining the Latin names where it would help me understand better and helping me realize the distinctions and differences between various veins and arteries. I feel empowered. See, we had extra time- we finished the lab early, at 6:15 maybe, but class goes till 6:40. So from 6:15 till about 6:55 she sat with me and patiently taught me everything, mapping out the body alongside me, intuitively knowing that I needed to take notes and write down what I saw. When I guiltily looked at the clock at 6:40, she said, "Don't worry. Go on."
This is an observant, caring, kind, helpful, funny, entertaining, clever woman. I am so lucky to have her as a teacher.
The two of them made my day. May they be blessed, and blessed, and thrice blessed!
3 comments:
Assuming these two proffesors don't read your blog (though as you well know, you can't count on *anyone* not reading your blog ;) ), may I suggest that you either send 'em an e-mail or tell them in person how much you appreciate what they did? (Even though I'm more than sure you gushed your gratitude toward Prof. Luers.)
Yay and frabjuosity for wonderful people!
You are fortunate to have such great teachers. In my experience the teachers have had more to do with my enjoyment and satisfaction from class than the material itself.
Yay for Professor Luers! She's been so good to us about the pigs all along. And yay for you for acknowledging them publicly.
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