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| Mrs. Sharyn Shore Krantz (Sears), my fourth grade teacher. |
A true teacher is more concerned though by truly developing the individual, more than the subject matter. They use the subject matter as a tool to empower the student with the skills needed to be transmuted into our everyday lives. I learned from the best of the best. This particular blog I have been wanting to write for a long time. I have thought about writing a card, or a letter, but this is my way of sharing with everyone and this individual my true gratitude.
The above picture is Mrs. Sharyn Shore Krantz. When I had her, her name was Mrs. Sears. She was my fourth grade teacher. I entered her class not prepared. Unfortunately I had a third grade teacher who did not properly prepare me with my studies and truth is, I should have never progressed to the fourth grade. I went into Mrs. Sears class having a below average reading comprehension, no study skills, not knowing any math, unsure of how to write in script, and inability to retain information.
I think today teachers are more worried about covering material and preparing for state tests and scores than the development of the student. I was lucky enough to have an experience where my teachers defied those obstacles and put the student first. A true teacher knows that once the time and effort is put into helping a student develop a way to learn and hand the skills to move forward, everything else truly does fall into place. Mrs. Sears is definitely one of those teachers.
One day, only two months into fourth grade, Mrs. Sears calls my mother at home. I am almost sure the quote Mrs. Sears said to my mother was: "Karen, what the hell is the matter with your son?!" My mother startled, thought there was a problem, and there was. I was at a second grade level in all aspects. Mrs. Sears explained to my mother what the problem was and where I was and where I needed to be. But Mrs. Sears didn't only present what the problem was, but she presented the solution. This is something some teachers forget to do. Mrs. Sears went right to work. But it wasn't just to improve my grades and learn the material. It was to give me the skills that will help me for the rest of my schooling career.
If I didn't deserve a grade, I wouldn't get it. She had no problem giving me Ds, Fs, C-s if that. And she reinforced that it's not acceptable and I needed to put effort and try new things. But she also reinforced that I was not stupid. She said to me "You are better than this! You CAN do this! Keep on doing it" And if I didn't do it, she made me do it agian, maybe in a different way. Some teachers don't ever say those things to a student. Some teachers give up and throw their hands in the air. Some teachers blame the STUDENT for not doing well. Mrs. Sears never blamed me, and she made sure I felt capable. She built my self-esteem. She always told me I CAN do it. She believed in me.
My mother and father were right on board with Mrs. Sears. "Do what you need to do," they told her. Something else parents need to do. It was obvious Mrs. Sears was well capable of helping me along and developing my skills. She got my parents involved and I was lucky to have parents who were supportive. It wasn't easy a lot of the times, but well worth it.
We did something called Current Events. We had to watch the news or read newspapers and learn what the hell was going on in the world. Every day Mon-Thurs we wrote sometimes a dozen or more current events in our notes. I knew our secretary of state Madeline Albright, I knew who prime ministers of other countires were, I knew who Monica Lewinsky was, I knew what was happening to Boris Yelstin in Russia, I knew what was happening in Iraq, as fourth graders, we were very well read because of Current Events. Every Friday we had a test where she asked us 10 questions. EVERY FRIDAY. Mind you we may have had to write down 60 plus events a WEEK and be testes on ten.
Every night my father would make me read them and memorize them and test me on them. He had to have a lot of patience with me. Sometimes it was very unpleasant. But over time as I felt better and more comfortable, it became easier. I was learning to study. First marking period I got a D. By the second marking period I got an A. Mrs. Sears acknowledged it, not too emotionally, but more of a reinforced "See what you can do! Now keep doing it!"
I want to point something else out. This was the year I began my martial arts training. This is my life's work and personal legend today. It was the first and only thing I cared about in my life up to that point. Mrs. Sears told my mother to pull me out of other things to focus on my studies. I stopped Choir, I stopped baseball and soccer, but Mrs. Sears told my mother to keep me in the martial arts because it will be good for me. Can you imagine if she told my mother it would be good to pull me out? Can you imagine?!
Back then I used to have to bring in a report home to my teachers and parents in order to belt test. The teachers and parents had to agree that we were showing the same martial arts values outside the school as well as on the mats in order to belt test. this is something I do in my school as well. At one point, I was NOT doing well with the grades and I brought a letter to be signed for a belt test. Mrs. Sears took it and later in the day pulled me into the room and sat me down. She explained to me that my martial arts teacher would probably not be happy if she circled disagree. But she said she would not circle disagree. She said she would sign agree but took this moment not to tell me she was doing me a favor but as a lesson that would be instilled in me for my whole life.
She said in order to achieve things in life you need to do your best just like my martial arts teaches me. She told me I was not a baby but a young adult! (I was nine years old). I'm not going to get anything without working hard and sometimes you will want to give up but you keep going. Look at my Current Events grade! Look at my math! Look at my reading now! It's all getting better. She knew it would destroy my self-esteem not doing martial arts or not to belt test. She took it as an opportunity to teaching me a larger lesson. That's what a real teacher does.
I never got any honor role in fourth grade but I got some A's and B's and a few C's. My grades improved a little bit, but my abilities and skills grew tremendously in one year. Every year from fifth grade to my senior year of high school and even college, I always made Honor role, straight A's, a B here and there, and the Dean's list. As much credit I give my martial arts training which HAS helped me a great deal, I would never have been the student I am and continue to be today if it weren't for Sharyn Sears. She developed me not only as a student but as a human being.
The skills and abilities she taught me in fourth grade I still hold true and strong to this very day in my adulthood. I pass them on to my own students for over 15-18 years with my own now through martial arts, fitness, and psychology. I owe Mrs. Sears a great deal to my future. I also think it is funny that I hated those goddamn Current events and later on was a serious student journalist reporting news, and today continue to do interviews with high profiled martial artists on my YouTube channel . You just never know.
But I want to cover ONE MORE thing about Mrs. Sears. She taught us at our age to learn to love and accept people. Respect was the greatest and highest priority and anything less was NOT tolerated. She was fair and true. She provided an environment that was safe and fun, and we laughed a whole lot. She had a great sense of humor and I respected her and would imitate her Yiddish remarks all the time. She was Jewish and her father was a Holocaust survivor. She knew what real pain in the world was from Jewish persecution from our history in the world. She taught us it was to accept all people despite their religion, race, sexual orientation, or handicap. She brought in people with disabilities to show us they are also people and they just live differently.
Another big eye opener was when we had a Muslim student in our class. He and his brother had no problem telling us that they hated Jews. Mrs. Sears was not offended by this, being Jewish herself. She didn't try to persuade them but she treated the student like everyone else. The rest of us in the class were kind of shocked by this. You can imagine a bunch of fourth graders not knowing how to feel about this. A few months into our year, these two students LOVED Mrs. Sears. They would joke, "We should have Mrs. Sears over for dinner and show the world all people can get along!" That statement was more powerful than any of lesson she could give us. She taught us humanity!!!
When we come across a master educator, we really need to embrace all that they have to offer. Mrs. Sears is definitely one of those teachers. If it weren't for her, I would never have achieved any of the successes that came later in in my future years in grammar school, middle school, high school, and even college. But I am grateful for the skills and lessons to being not only a good student, but a human being. That is what a true teacher does.
Mrs. Sears, you were one of the best teachers I have ever had. I've been wanting to tell you for years this, and quite honestly these words are still not enough. The gratitude I feel for all the time and effort you put into me and that I know you continued to do with all your students is honorable and to be respected by all. You have made a huge difference in my life and so many others and deserve every accolade there is (that's a vocabulary word you taught me LOL). Thank you for all you do, there needs to be more teachers like you in the world, and I hope all teachers of the future follow your lead. (BOWS)
Yours in service,
MASTER A TRENTO
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