The power of teaching

It’s finally August, the beginning of a new school year. It’s going to be a highly unusual and memorable semester as teachers and students meet in unconventional ways, but hopefully normalcy will return before long.

We all remember what it was like to go back to school. Just walking into a school building will forever flood our senses with memories of what those days were like for us and our classmates as we anxiously fumbled our ways into new classrooms.

In my mind’s eye I see a young student named Albert Camus, just short of his 10th birthday, making his way into the classroom of Louis Germain in Algiers in 1923. A stern disciplinarian (and thus not the most popular teacher), Germain cared deeply about his students and their development. He gave much attention to young Albert, as would Jean Grenier, one of Albert’s high school teachers. These two teachers would awaken in Camus a love for the world of ideas and literature that would consume every fiber of his being. It was no surprise that when Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, he dedicated his acceptance speech to Germain, and that he dedicated several of his writings to Grenier.

Not all of our students will end up Nobel laureates, but all of them are brimming with possibilities they aren’t even aware of. Under the careful eye of our many excellent teachers their talents will begin to unfold. All of us will forever remember special teachers. It’s fitting that we thank our teachers and that we pray for today’s teachers as many of them now assume unusual risks in behalf of their students.

By the way, I came across the writings of Albert Camus when I was a philosophy student 60 years ago. I gathered all of his writings and eagerly devoured them. Now that this pandemic has given me lots of extra time to read, I’m giving Camus’ books a second reading. What an unexpected treat!

SANDY WYLIE

Bella Vista