Foundation Notes

grateful for educators

Dorothea Dix once said, “The duties of a teacher are neither few nor small, but they elevate the mind and give energy to the character”. I have thought of this quote often over the past few months as I continue to read about teacher burnout in the news. Teachers are essential. Teachers teach all other professions. I would not be the person I am today if it was not for the positive and meaningful moments I have shared over the years with teachers. None of us would be. I cannot honestly say that every teacher I had left a distinct impression on me but I can guarantee that every teacher taught me something – even if it was not planned in his or her curriculum. I don’t remember much from my advertising class in college, but I do remember how Ms. Gubanc treated me and quite honestly saved my college career. Ms. Suzanne Gubanc was a force to be reckoned with. She came to class with the goal of not only teaching us about advertising but challenging our thoughts and behaviors. She encouraged questions and lively discussions among classmates all while making sure we learned to argue without personal attack. I was doing very well in her class – never missed an assignment deadline – participated in class discussions – all of it – until I wasn’t. Ms. Gubanc noticed and pulled me aside after class. I broke down. I wasn’t happy and as many college students do – I was questioning if college and the career path I had chosen was right for me. She listened to me. She didn’t pass judgement. And then she gave me praise at a time I needed it most. She encouraged me to continue in my studies and told me I was not only a good student but more than that – I would go on to do great things – that I had worth. Simply put – she gave me confidence and hope when I had neither. I am forever thankful to her. On a lighter note, one of the scariest things I have ever heard in my life came from my 7th grade math teacher. Ms. Kathy Krezel looked across the table at me after a long tutoring session, stared me in the eyes and said, “You know Jackie, life is a story problem”. The quote haunted me for years. I hated story problems and I hated math. Math seemed too black and white, and I didn’t believe there could ever possibly be just one correct answer to anything. As I have grown older, and I hope a bit wiser, I have realized what Ms. Krezel was ultimately trying to tell me was that life is worth figuring out. Some answers will be black and white while shades of gray remain in others. There probably wasn’t much gray to be seen the first time I was sent to the hallway in elementary school. I was arguing with two of my classmates and managed to rip a folder belonging to one. The shame of the hallway. I can still remember that feeling of all who walked by me knowing I was in trouble, that I had done wrong. Oh, how I hated that feeling! I was fortunate Mrs. Foth took the time to explain why I had been sent to the hallway and how my actions had not only caused damage to my classmate’s folder, but also his feeling’s. I felt terrible which was evident by the tears rolling down my cheeks. Mrs. Foth explained to me that we all make mistakes, but it’s how we recover from our mistakes that defines us. She advised that I apologize to my classmate. I followed my teacher’s advice and as elementary students do – my classmate and I were soon friends again. I’ve never forgotten the importance of learning from my mistakes and the necessity of a heartfelt apology. I would be remiss if I did not mention my high school English teacher. Mr. Gamble was known for throwing staplers and being a grump. Mr. Gamble had also been teaching for over 40 years when I became his student. One of his favorite sayings was “I’m gonna cut off your arm and beat you with it!” This quote was always followed by a small grin. My friend Jeremy and I sat next to each other in our senior English class. We had an ongoing joke about goats and various other farm animals and would get an awful case of the giggles. There was many a time the threat of a stapler was unleashed upon us. However, Jeremy and I were also very good writers, and our stories were full of creativity and boundless amounts of research. Mr. Gamble went easy on us, and I never did see a stapler thrown or an arm cut off. Instead, Mr. Gamble fine-tuned our grammar and punctuation and enlightened us with new vocabulary words daily. He made learning and writing English enjoyable and his grumpiness soon became endearing. I never struggled when it came to writing papers in college and I have Mr. Gamble to thank for that. Mr. Gamble has long since passed away, but I am sure many a student still thinks of him when composing a letter or perhaps whenever a stapler is in sight. Waldorf University is blessed with a wonderful teaching staff that consistently goes above and beyond for their students. Students often state how they feel valued and known by our teaching staff. Many of the articles in this magazine highlight our Waldorf educators including current students and alumni who are or have been brilliant examples of the teaching profession. I hope you enjoy reading about them. I am sure all of you have wonderful stories to share about teachers who have influenced and guided you over the years. I encourage you to reach out to those teachers and thank them for their dedication and practice. If you would like to share stories about professors or other staff during your time at Waldorf, please contact me. I would love to share these stories with your fellow alumni. Sincerely

Jaclyn Sifert Director of Alumni Relations Waldorf University

The Waldorf Magazine—a combined effort of the Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation and Waldorf University—is published for alumni and friends of Waldorf University. Please help us keep our records up-to-date by notifying the Alumni Department if you have moved, changed your name or updated your email address. Contact alumni@waldorf.edu or 641.585.8148. Waldorf University, 106 South 6th Street, Forest City, IA 50436 // 641.585.2450 // 800.292.1903