Thank You Mr. B!

This week's Thursday Blog topic is one that I have been thinking about a lot lately. Melissa asked the group to answer the following question: Who was your favorite teacher (any year of school) and why?

I'm amending this topic ever so slightly... I'm going to talk about the teacher who had the greatest impact on me.

First and foremost, I'd like to say at first I was going to write about several teachers. I've had many that I have learned lessons from; however, one teacher stuck stood out amongst the rest - Mr. Berardi, my Jr. High Physical Education teacher.

I laugh when I think about this because I don't have a good history with PE class. Honestly, it was in the top three classes that I liked the least. Math and Science (of any kind) occupied the top two spots - and what spot those subjects occupied was dependent upon what particular class I was taking at the time. They were basically interchangeable. However, PE always occupied spot three.

So, if this was one of my top three classes I liked the least you're probably asking yourself why I singling out my PE teacher as the one who had the greatest impact on me. Well, you have to know Mr. B to understand. When I look back upon my years in school I remember Mr. B for two reasons:

The first had to do with the mile run fitness test we were required to take twice a year. Yes, require. Twice a year we would go out to the Soccer field for said test. Once you completed four laps around (1 mile) you could go back to the school and change. I dreaded this test because I had NO ... I repeat NO endurance and could barely run half a mile let alone 1 mile. With that in mind I would typically start off said test running and then quickly slow-down to a fast-ish walk. I picked up my speed when I was nearing Mr B. and then slowed down again. All in all, I think I completed this test in somewhere around 20 minutes.


Periodically, as time has passed I keep going back to those one mile fitness tests. Sometimes it had to do with the fact that I was reminiscing with others on various school related stories with had, but on many occasions it had to do with the fact that I was recalling the way Mr. B would encourage us to not give-up, and to try as hard as we could. It wasn't something I bought into at the time, but as I matured (and my tenacious nature became more apparent) it stuck with me. It reminded me in the hardest of times to keep fighting.

As I train for my first 5K I think back to those one mile fitness tests and Mr. B's encourage a lot. Sometimes it makes me laugh. Especially since running is something I love to do and not just another school PE class requirement. It's hard for me to imagine there was ever a time I didn't enjoying it. I think about how one mile is not longer a struggle for me and how I am now all consumed with hitting that three mile mark. I think about Mr. B's word of encouragement as I negotiate with myself whether or not I'm going to quit or keep pushing on for just a little bit longer.

The second reason Mr. B stands-out amongst the many, many teachers I've had over the years has to do with his compassion and genuine interest in his student's well-being. This became apparent to me after my dad's passing. Can't recall the conversation verbatim, but it is the only conversation I remember having with any of my teachers at the time. This is not to say my other teachers didn't express their concern for me, however there was something about Mr. B that stood out amongst the rest of them. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was the last teacher I expected to say something to me about it. He never struck me as the teacher you would talk to about personal matters.

At least a year ago I friended Mr. B on Facebook. He is now retired and living in another state. As I would imagine, he is friended with a lot of his old student who adore him as much as I do. In the end I think this goes back to one of the greatest lessons I realized last year - you can never really anticipate who will have a significant impact on your life and what that impact may be. I'm thankful to have had Mr. B as a teacher and will never forget the lessons I learned.


Now that I've talked about a teacher who had a great impact on my life, I encourage you to read what my fellow bloggers have to say:

• Merryland Girl (Melissa)

• Mom of Many (Susanna)

• Momarock (Sara)