The Magnificent 7!

A Tribute to Teachers Who

Made a Difference
By Lisa Dabbs
May 7, 2012

Monday May 7 through Friday May 11, 2012 is National

Teacher Appreciation Week ; a time to pay tribute to teachers
and, as shared by NEA , a time to "honor local educators and
acknowledge the crucial role teachers play in making sure
every student receives a quality education."

We know and recognize that there are many teachers in our

past who have given their hearts, minds and souls to nurture
in us the things that they saw as vital to our education,
critical to our success, and important for our future.

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In keeping with that theme, I want to take this time to
celebrate and share with you The Magnificent 7 -- teachers
from my past who inspired me, and gave freely of their time
to this great profession we call teaching. These are seven
teachers who were super, teachers who have earned the
right to be called GREAT in this profession that many of us
call our life's work.

T is for Trusting
Mrs. Young was my first grade teacher. She was patient,
kind and I trusted her. She was the first teacher who ever
recognized that I had something special to share with the
world, even if then it was only my dimples. Mrs. Young
guided me through my first budding romance and always
made our classroom feel like a safe place. I will always
treasure her kind words, her caring smile, and her
encouragement as I learned not to talk so much and
struggled with my ABC scrapbook.

E is for Enthusiastic
Mr. Todd was my sixth grade "open classroom" teacher. He
was amazingly talented, as he could not only look you in the
eye and get you to behave, but he could also get you to sing
your heart out! Mr. Todd was our class choir teacher, believe
it or not. I was one of the first to experience an open
classroom setting, back in the day when funds for schooling
were limitless. He was enthusiastic about all our learning,
but particularly when it came time for music lessons. I will
always cherish the way he literally "pounded" the keyboard
and got our class to sing with a joyful noise!

A is for Amazing
Mr. Kirshenbaum was also my sixth grade "open classroom"
teacher. He partnered with Mr. Todd in this great opportunity
and did most of the critical "academic" teaching. He
was amazing to me in that, no matter the issue or dilemma,
from broken arm to broken heart, Mr. K always kept his cool.
His kind, caring demeanor and leadership were unparalleled
in all my school experience. He was a true mentor and
beloved by all. Later he would become my "boss" as my
superintendent in two local school districts where I served as
an administrator. He recently retired as the superintendent of
a tremendously successful district. Knowing Mr. K as I do, I
know this is only the beginning of his next adventure!

C is for Charisma
You know those people who appear in your life and -- no
matter what they say or do -- everyone loves them? That
was Mr. Joseph Gascon, my uncle. Uncle Joe began his
career as a potential big league baseball player who gave
that up to move to his true calling which was teaching. He
was brilliant and beloved by many for his firm, fair and
consistent manner. He had amazing charisma and could
keep you engaged for hours as he shared his teaching
adventures or the latest stats of his fave baseball team. His
genuine caring for his students, teachers, parents and
school community won the hearts of many. He advanced
quickly and served as a school principal until his passing in
the late 1990's. His last school now bears his name: Joseph
A. Gascon Elementary . I will always remember him fondly,
not only as his niece, but for the time he took to support me
as a new teacher, and for his mentorship as I became a
school administrator.
H is for Hopeful
Mr. Goebal was my high school U.S.B. (United Student
Body) teacher. Yes . . . I was one of those! I loved all the
leadership opportunities and spent two years serving as
junior and senior class secretary. Mr. Goebal was the
teacher who had the distinct privilege of teaching social
studies and guiding all the high school class officers in our
daily work. Yes, our school actually had a class where all the
officers met regularly to have our meetings; meetings where
we discussed such earthshaking topics such as where to
hold our next prom and which band should play at the next
dance. We did have some big thinkers, though, who got into
some nasty debates on other topics that were not looked
upon too kindly by our principal; topics such as walk-outs or
sit-ins to protest the Vietnam War . When those contentious
discussions broke out in class, Mr. Goebal kept his cool,
calmed us down and was a constant source of hope. Even
when we knew that the walk-out would never fly, he never
wavered in his encouragement to us to bring the issue
forward no matter what the outcome might be. I will always
remember him for his patience with us, and for his kind
acceptance of all our diverse student opinions.

E is for Extraordinary
Ms. Paulee  was my college voice coach and teacher. She
was an amazing, gifted artist who performed with
the Metropolitan Opera . In her retirement from the MET, she
joined the faculty at CSULA . She was fiercely dedicated to
her voice students and was a tremendous taskmaster. In my
bi-weekly sessions with her, she could get me to use my
voice and stretch my vocal abilities in ways I never dreamed
possible. She coached and mentored with a vigor not often
seen in teachers in their mid 60's. She passed away in 1995,
but left a legacy of extraordinary brilliance. I will always be in
awe of her teaching and passionate spirit, and grateful for
her firm belief in my artistic abilities.

R is for Resonate
For many of you who read my blog, you know that my
inspiration for all that I do comes from my grandmother, Mrs.
Carmen Gascon. She attended UCLA at a time when most
women of her day were denied the opportunity. She was
fascinated with the study of languages and spoke English,
Spanish, French, German and Italian. She graduated Summa
Cum Laude  and became a high school foreign language
instructor and adjunct community college professor. Her
manner of teaching languages and her message of hope
always resonated with her students. As an early immigrant,
she was 100% convinced that, through the power of
education, people could rise above poverty and achieve their
dreams. I will be forever grateful to her for her steadfast
commitment to living a life filled with seeking her passion
and teaching me to do the same.

I'd love to hear from you! Now that I've shared and my
Magnificent 7, do have at least one? Share with us as we
celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, a teacher who has
made a difference in your life as an educator.