OP2- Teacher who Inspired Me

I enjoyed your writing a lot.
It is very organized and elaborate.
I also learned plenty of good expressions from it.
Your inspiring teacher is like a Saint who has great generosity, humility, patience as well as sympathy to help the poor.
Reading about inspiring teachers shared by my classmates, I feel that I should model myself on them.

You are very lucky to meet that kinds of teacher. I really envy you. I can't met impressive teacher like Mr son at my elementary school. These days, teacher who receive money from the parents decrease but when I was elementary school students, teacher usually receive money from the parents. My mother also gave money to teacher sometimes. As far as I remember, all my homeroom teacher recieve it from my mother.

Good for you! You have a good, warm-hearted teacher.
Actually, I have some negative opinion toward elemenatry school teachers who are a little old. I heard that they need a kind of bribe from students' parents. My teacher when sixth grade in elementary school, he was like that.

It is honor that you met such a good teacher. I was moved that part of your essay that he wrote letters to students' parents. I'm sure it is hard to meet that kind of teacher nowadays. However, when you become a teacher, you can try what he did.

Nice to talk to you today. I think you are such a lovely lady who will be understanding to your students just like Mr. Sohn. He also should be my another role model. we might regard teaching as a kind of easygoing job. Actually, it's not at all. Still, there have been a lot of teachers dedicated to students. There remain just teachers but not many good teachers in school. I believe it's time to change something. I hope we both could play a part in English education.

Take care,

Namsook

Hi Inkab,

What a delightful and very moving piece of writing - thanks so much for posting it here for us all to enjoy and get inspiration from.

Reading about your teacher, I had a strong urge to meet him and learn from him (that's a sure sign your writing was powerful and had a noticeable effect on this reader!). He sounds like a truly inspiring person. I also couldn't help but reflect on the fact that teachers who see their job as a profession and a role in broader society are increasingly becoming rare. Many teachers these days put strict limitations on what they are willing to 'give' beyond basic classroom hours and duties. Reading about your teacher could potentially show them what they are missing out on. While his generosity and consideration were amazing, your account shows how eventually the most rewarding things of all returned to this man in due process. His students regularly came back to visit him and even gathered to celebrate his 60th birthday. At that time I'm sure he was able to bask in the glow of so much genuine friendship and admiration - more than most people at the same age, but he also sounds like the kind of man who would be enormously happy and satisfied in the knowledge that his kind principles were being passed on to a new generation of people and teachers.

Current teachers bickering over how much they earn, how much status they have, how much work they feel they ought to do in comparison to others, basically always putting their own interests ahead of their students'... I sincerely doubt they could ever come to enjoy later life the way your teacher has (and will).

You've done an excellent job of presenting an organized structure to your writing here - following the sequence of introduction, description/context, and body paragraphs with a clear focus on particular reasons with excellent supporting detail and exemplification. The conclusion is excellent as well. I was also really impressed by your use of clause structure and punctuation to create very intricate and effective extended sentences - for example:

The teacher I am missing now was a dedicated, hardworking teacher as far as I remember; on top of that, however, he gave me insightful lessons on the ways of both looking around the people who are in desperate needs as well as introspecting myself to be a better person.

Most proficient native speakers would struggle to produce such a descriptive sentence at the same level you have here.

I would go so far as to say this is one of the most outstanding and powerful pieces of writing I have read for many years... I say that because I automatically wanted to read your essay again, and have returned to it a couple of times since to read yet again and again!


Below you will find some suggestions relevant to language development:

Inkab wrote:OP 2 > The teacher who inspired me


Considering the essence of education, I believe good teachers should be able to not only equip students with enormous knowledge but also help them build up their personalities. The teacher I am missing now was a dedicated, hardworking teacher as far as I remember; on top of that, however, he gave me insightful lessons on the ways of both looking around the people who are in desperate needs as well as introspecting myself to be a better person. His merciful heart and careful consideration heavily influenced several aspects of my life.

I met Mr. Son on the sixth grade of my elementary school. He was a middle aged man and rarely rigid but usually showed his warm heart. He was my homeroom teacher and conductor of the school orchestra where I play the accordion. Compared to others in my class, I spent extra hours with him because the orchestra practiced a lot after school for musical performance. Thanks to those additional hours, I believe, we were able to increase our intimacy. Until my college year, I and several friends of mine regularly visited him and even we celebrated his 60 year old anniversary.

He was a warm-hearted teacher. His merciful action toward the poor students directed me to face the reality of those in needs. In consequence of this recognition, I have been driven to have concerns about the hopeless people who lack of necessities until now. Our school was kind of mixture of extremely different economic classes. Some of the students were living in houses with fancy gardens and ponds while others were from the shanty town that was located nearby mountainside. One day, the teacher asked me to go with him to visit those classmates living in shanty town. Visiting one by one, he gave small letters to the parents or grandparents of my classmates and said, “please buy some rice for A’s lunch box”. I remember I was so surprised to see a teacher giving money to parents; not receiving it from parents. In addition his heat-felt consideration for students really moved and inspired me.

I believe most of teachers’ actions or words have significant influence on students’ personalities. Thinking of my teacher, I realize how considerately he responded to his student’s misbehavior. His thoughtful deliberation on my rudeness has made me continuously reflect on myself for being an ideal person. At the end of the year, the closest friend of mine failed to obtain straight As although she was so excellent at all subjects. Then, rumor said the other girl whose mom frequently dropped by the school and donated school facilities got all As, despite her inability on several subjects. I was so upset that I ran into my teacher’s desk and said because of the other girl’s mom, my friend couldn't get all As. After a few moments, my teacher told me with a smile probably my friend got 98 out of 100 whereas the other got 90; nevertheless, both are considered to be As. He said that he thought the teacher of my friend would be fair enough. Listening to his explanation, I was aware that his claim was quite reasonable, but at the same time, got so embarrassed realizing my action was totally out of bounds. Indeed, however, Mr. Son never blamed my rudeness or hot temper. He just explained the fact with a smile. I always appreciate it that he didn’t say any negative words about my personality. Without a word I had already recognized my wrongs with all my heart and even it continues until now.

The memories from the youth are sometimes so strong that it is hard to deny or never removed from our brain. Good inspiration given away from the teacher is considered such assets since it will be the basis through which we see things in a right perspective. For me, my teacher’s mercy and consideration paved the way to living like a real human being.

The teacher I miss these days was a dedicated, hardworking teacher as far as I can recall; on top of that, however, he gave me insightful lessons on ways of both looking around at the people in desperate need as well as being introspectful about myself in order to become a better person

As a consequence of this recognition, I have been driven to be concerned about the hopeless people who have been in lack of basic necessities

Indeed, however, Mr. Son never blamed me for my rudeness or hot temper

Thanks for a great essay, Inkab.

While on one hand I lament that there are not more Mr. Sons in this world, at the same time I live in hope that his example can create more teachers like him.

Take care and see you in class,

~ Jason


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I have a good teacher in my sixth grade in elementary school, too.
Is middle or high school teacher more frightening?

I agree with your opinion. Teachers influence their students a lot. That's why teachers are important. Actually, a teacher in my fourth grade was very fearful. So all students did not want to talk with him. I don't want to be a teacher like him. We try to be a good teacher like Mr.Son

I am impressed with what you wrote about. There is no doubt that your teacher should be proud of you as well.
I think it is very good thing that a teacher and a student give and take the best thing each other - your teacher gives good memory and love to you and you showed great respect for him.
As long as you have a such nice teacher in your mind, you also will be a good teacher.

-Jueun