Everyone has a favourite teacher. A teacher who teaches you more than the defined school work. A teacher who believes in you more than you believe yourself. And someone who just makes a better person out of you without you even realising that. And there will be a teacher you will always be grateful about. Everyone will have a different way to express their gratitude. Few show their gratitude by giving presents, few by spending time with the teachers even after passing out of school/college and some, like Mitch, will write a book about their beloved teacher. There are two books about teachers which celebrate them as teachers and their teachings. Tuesdays with Morrie and The Last Lecture. There was something so positive and captivating in these books, I wanted to share these books with all of you.
Tuesdays with Morrie
Morrie Schwartz was a much loved teacher by all this students. He was someone who lived each day to the fullest, loved whatever he did and was totally content and happy with his life. Till the day a life threatening disease struck him. He knew his days were numbered and his mobility would be challenged. This wasn’t an easy thing to take for the otherwise active and lively person. When one of his old students came to know of his ill-health, he just thought of giving his favourite teacher a visit. One visit turned into several life changing visits for him. Little did he know that his teacher would be teaching him, will be giving life lessons right up till the moment he breathes his last.
The Last Lecture.
This is about another popular and loved teacher, Randy Pausch, who had a little time in his hands. But he chose to live the last few months living a king sized life rather than wallowing in self-pity. In Carnegie Mellon, where he taught, there was a custom of every retiring teacher to give one last lecture to all his students. What they shared in their last lecture varied from teacher to teacher. Randy gave his last lecture in front of hundreds of students and staff. He chose to speak about his life, from his childhood to that day when he was speaking on the lecture. What he shared is thought provoking, inspiring, and humorous and the experiences as a teacher who was learning something new form his colleagues and students as he was imparting to his them. The examples and experiences shared are heart warming, and for sure there will be something each of us will like to adopt or pass on to others.
These books are nothing but a collection of moments between a teacher and his student(s). A few might find the books to be preachy with all the life lessons shared but it’s nonetheless a sweet tribute by a student to his teacher (Tuesdays with Morrie) and another being the desire of a teacher to impart everything to his students in his last moment as an official teacher. I read these books twice. Whenever I had my moments of self-doubts, I read them. It was again like my teachers shouting a few encouraging words and giving a hand to pick me up again, just like my school days. The last lines in both the books gave me goose bumps and I was drawn back to the days I shared with my favourite teacher. Both these awe-inspiring books will do that to you. I’m sure that you will find these books a little comforting whenever you are feeling low, just how a favourite teacher does. Overlook the ‘preachy’ part and you will surely like what you read.
Reading these will seal the fact that teachers will ALWAYS want to give something to their students, unknowingly too. Guess they are just made that way. All they know is that want teach and they do it till the time they can, being on the job or retired doesn’t matter. Once a teacher, always a teacher. You will be reminded of your favourite teacher and will definitely think about them and thank them. I’m sure that you will start thinking of the ways to tell him/her a great big Thank You for making a change in your life. It’s never too late to say Thank You to them. Write a book on them or dedicate something to them, it’s your pick. As for me, I dedicate this blogpost to them.
Thank you ma’am. Thank You sir. I’ll always always always be grateful for what you taught me. J
P.S : If you are feeling too lazy to reach these books, watch the video of the The Last Lecture. It’s really worth it. Tuesdays with Morrie also came out as TV series. Do watch and let me know how they are.
nice very helpful
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