Op-Ed: Why I Love My Teacher

By a Lubavitcher Yungerman

I see him on the street and wave hi to him, but as a grown-up, I feel shy to walk over to him and share with him how much I appreciate him and why.

As a child, I faced a lot of pain in my personal life. It wasn’t necessarily noticeable to others, but it was there. A label was given to me: “troublemaker.”

It was so easy for teachers to get upset with me and feel resentment toward me. In general, in a very large school, it can be challenging for a teacher to remain calm and always help a child feel complete dignity.

Yet this Rebbi of mine always gave me eye contact, always shared warmth with me, and always made me feel valued in his presence.

There was one incident that really demonstrated this.

One morning, my teacher noticed that one of my peyos was practically gone. There was no peyos left near my ear.

It was during a break. My teacher could have easily asked me about it in the classroom, but instead, he called me into a separate room and respectfully mentioned it.

He didn’t threaten to throw me out. He simply wanted to bring it to my attention because he wanted me to be the best I could be in general, and the best I could be in my Yiddishkeit.

I believe I told him then that it had been accidentally cut off. My teacher gently nodded his head, and that was the end of it.

The truth was that, that week, I was facing a lot of distress in my life, and I was constantly pulling out my hair as a way to relieve stress.

What struck me most about this Rebbi was that even during my hardest times, he didn’t see me as an enemy. He saw me as a good person.

In every conversation, in every word he spoke to me, I felt that he saw me with dignity. He spoke to me like a person deserving of respect, even when I wasn’t a “popular boy” in the class.

In his eyes, I was valued.

Until today, when I see him, I feel that warmth. I feel more love for Hashem because I love the person who represented Hashem and His Yiddishkeit to me.

My dear teacher, if you are reading this, you may remember this incident, or you may not. But thank you for your kindness and for always seeing me in a good light.

I think all teachers can learn from this:

Children remember your love.

When children are seen in a good light, they may remember it forever. They may carry that feeling with them for years to come.

Thank you, Rebbi!