Parent tells Columbus High teacher she’s the reason her kid comes to school

This past Sunday, I had brunch with a teacher-friend.

The couple sitting behind our table stood up, and as they exited the restaurant, they spotted my friend as their daughter’s English teacher.

Unable to suppress the urge, the couple stopped by the table to introduce themselves. Smiles beaming, they seemed overjoyed to finally meet the teacher who, as they said, was their daughter’s favorite. They quickly described the change they had noticed in their daughter’s demeanor once she sat under the instruction of my friend. My friend blushed. Then she bragged about the talent and intelligence of their daughter. I could immediately sense the mutual benefit caused by the connection between parent-and-teacher as well as teacher-and-student.

The moment was special to witness, and I was reminded about how a teacher can impact a child’s heart. I think every teacher hopes to be interrupted during a meal out by an appreciative parent. Small gestures such as this remind public educators that their efforts are fruitful in more ways than one. Besides the minds they mold and fill with new ideas, school teachers invest in the hearts of their students, so it is always nice to receive a simple gesture.

The catalyst for such a powerful explosion of hope inside the hearts of young kids is the unique way a teacher can foster relationships with them. According to literature teacher Lisa Mills at Columbus High, perhaps the difference between a good teacher and an outstanding one revolves around those relationships. And she’s absolutely right.

There’s something simple in a teacher noticing when one of her students comes to class for the first time without her braces on, or when she knows how many tackles a member of her second period had Friday night. But the massive mark something so seemingly simple makes in the heart of the student is everlasting and never just that simple.

Ms. Mills tells a little story of being told once by a parent that her English class was the only reason the child wanted to come to school every day. Think about the implication such a powerful statement makes toward the importance of rapport within the classroom. For a conscientious, passionate teacher like Ms. Mills at Columbus High, she can only view the statement with bittersweet feelings. Sweet in the fact that she can personally walk in the sustenance of the highest compliment a classroom teacher can receive. Bitter in regards to the idea that for this high school student, there should have been seven teachers that drove the child to school.

Can you imagine a public school system where every single teacher is a teacher like Ms. Mills? Where every teacher is noticed in a restaurant as someone who made a lasting positive impression on a child? We would be remiss to think that such a utopia exists, but I aim to think that we’re close. We’re very very close. With teachers such as Ms. Mills and my friend leading the way, one by one we’ll get there.

This story was originally published March 14, 2017 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Parent tells Columbus High teacher she’s the reason her kid comes to school."