Teacher Appreciation Day

Many people have influenced my life, some for good, others, not so much. But I have learned a great deal even from those in the "not so much" category. That's another story for another day, though.

Background for this blog post: I host a radio show on WHIZ-FM in Zanesville, Ohio, and in honor of Teacher Appreciation Day, this morning I shared some memories of four teachers who had profoundly influenced me throughout my school days. And my school daze, too.

First, there was Mrs. Shepherd, my fourth grade teacher. Now while I was a student at Seffner Elementary School in Seffner, Fla., I thought Mrs. Shepherd was quite possibly the meanest teacher that existed in this realm, or any other realm for that matter. And she was very stern; an old fashioned, no nonsense "school marm", if you please.

On one occasion, after I had sprinted down the sidewalk after school dismissed for the day, she caught me and as punishment made me write "I will walk on the walk" one hundred times. Needless to say, from that day forward, I always checked to make sure Mrs. Shepherd wasn't looking before I ran down the sidewalk.

Side note not necessarily relevant to the theme of this piece: My Mom was extremely irritated, not because I got into trouble or had to write "I will walk on the walk" one hundred times, but because Mrs. Shepherd referred to the sidewalk as the "walk". That just bugged the hooey out of Mom for some reason.

Anyway, one thing Mrs. Shepherd did in class that has stuck with me my entire life is that she prayed with the class each morning after announcements and before lunch. That testimony has always remained at the forefront of my hazy memory of fourth grade at Seffner Elementary.

My high school English teacher Daryl Safreed played a major role in my life over the relatively short time that we enjoyed together as teacher and student. Mr. Safreed taught me the value of writing and writing well, which helped me immensely in college and has played a key role in my professional life.

Had I not developed writing skills at the feet of Mr. Safreed, I would have never been able to work in broadcast or print journalism. He was also a good friend to me at a time when I was struggling in that no man's land between childhood and adulthood.

In my college years, Dr. Fred Afman and Marvin Easley each made crucial contributions to who I am today.

Dr. Afman was a Bible teacher at Tennessee Temple University for what seemed like ages. He was a giant of a man with a canyon-deep voice and a classic grandfatherly appearance.

The bow tie was his signature fashion item. At times, he wore an electric blue blazer around campus.

Imagine a 6-foot-8 inch tall granddad in an electric blue jacket with a bow tie teaching Old Testament Survey at 8 o'clock in the morning.

Yeah.

Beyond his unique look, Dr. Afman was a marvelous teacher of Scripture. His grasp of the Bible from both a spiritual and an intellectual standpoint was nothing short of amazing. I was captivated when he drew maps of the Holy Land on the chalk board from memory, listing all the key locations that we were studying. I always grabbed my Bible and checked the maps in the back to see if his drawings were accurate. They always were. I loved sitting under his teaching.

Near the end of a particularly horrible semester for me, Dr. Afman offered encouragement that helped me to get back on track. The fact that he noticed that I was struggling in my personal life, apart from the awful grades I was making in his class, spoke volumes to me about the man. He was so much more than just a professor of the Bible; he was a man of God who cared deeply about the well being of his students.

And then there was Marvin Easley. Marv was one of my broadcasting professors at TTU. He was a great guy.

He gained the moniker of "Easy Easley" from some students who took his classes because he wasn't necessarily the toughest prof at school. If you had class with Marv after the cafeteria was open, you were likely going to spend that time in one of his famous "luncheon seminars". But those who took his classes to grab an easy grade missed the whole point of the time they spent under his teaching.

Marv was a true professional broadcaster; a master of his craft. For years he was the voice of Honda dealerships throughout the southeastern United States. If you heard a Honda ad on radio or saw one on television, the smooth, cello-like voice telling you where to pick up your next ride was Marv's.

He encouraged me to stick with the broadcasting program at a time when I was considering changing majors. Part of his encouragement included taking my friend Dan Kennard and me with him during some of his voiceover work for Honda. It was amazing to watch him whip through that voice work, most of the time in one take.

When I worked as a substitute teacher for Zanesville City Schools during the 2011-12 academic year, I found myself utilizing some of Marv's style in dealing with students. He's shown up when I've taught Sunday school at church, too. And there's a lot of Marv in my writing style and on-air delivery. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then I hope that I have made Marv proud.

So, thank you, Mrs. Shepherd, Mr. Safreed, Dr. Afman and Marv. Thanks for being tough, caring, compassionate and great role models for me. Thanks for being good teachers.