Scott ThrelkeldFeb 25, 2023
Kevin Hearne
I just got an email from a former student of mine from 2003 who said my class was the only part of high school that didn’t suck (which made me sad she had such a rough time). And then I ran across this dedication in a book I just picked up. So I am thinking about how teaching is often a thankless job—especially lately and especially in Florida—and wanted to say to anyone who’s teaching:
1) sometimes kids thank you later
2) thanks for helping kids through the rough time they’re all having now
Feb 24, 2023 at 10:54pmWeb
Show threadWe Can Be GyrosFeb 24, 2023
@kevinhearne   
Show threadSinclairLewis [Minnesota]Feb 24, 2023
@kevinhearne These words hit hard as my son finishes his student teaching. He’s training to be a HS English teacher. His student teaching is occurring in a school where most kids are ESL and a hallway incident turned into a murder. He came home that day and said, “I’m not going to quit.” All he wants to do is help kids read and write, and therefore to think more clearly. It’s a struggle every day. Thank you!
Show threadKevin HearneFeb 24, 2023
@SinclairLewis It is indeed a struggle. An important one that society doesn’t appreciate or value enough. Thank him for sticking with it for me?
Show threadSinclairLewis [Minnesota]Feb 24, 2023
@kevinhearne With pleasure.
Show threadSteve GisselbrechtFeb 24, 2023
@kevinhearne
I sent my HS Advanced Bio teacher reprints of my first five or six published papers with a note that said that she was partially responsible for them.
Show threadKevin HearneFeb 24, 2023
@stevegis_ssg That was kind of you. Probably made her day!
Show threadSusannaAuthor Old White HippieFeb 24, 2023
@kevinhearne OMG, I am soooo glad I no longer have kids in Florida schools. It’s a nightmare right now.
Show thread✊🏾WiseGuyEddieFeb 24, 2023
@kevinhearne I'm 52 and to this day my favorite teacher of all time was my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Robinson. He was a counterintelligence spy during WWII. He was a bad-ass.
Show threaddbarbrowFeb 24, 2023
@kevinhearne All choked up. Can you share the title?
Show threadKevin HearneFeb 25, 2023
@dbarbrow Perilous Times, out this summer. I’m reading an advance copy.
Show threadDan MorenFeb 24, 2023
@kevinhearne I dedicated one of my books to my favorite teacher. Sadly he passed away several years before it was published. 😕
Show threadCimerydFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne
Thanks for being that kind of teacher. I know I wouldn't have graduated if I didn't have that one teacher whose classes became my reason to roll out of bed and come to school.
Show threadSteve LeathermanFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne Years ago I hired an immigrant. He worked for a few years and then he moved on to bigger and better things. Fast forward a few years. The secretary came back to tell me there was someone to see me. It was a young lady. The young lady handed me a book and said this is for you. I looked and it was a thesis in chemistry. She said I made the book possible because I gave her father a job. Yes, the young lady was the daughter of the immigrant I gave a job to.
Show threadKevin HearneFeb 25, 2023
@steveleatherman wow!
Show threadHeather LauraFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne this makes me so glad that I took time to reach out to my high school english teacher. He was and is still a big influence in my life.
Show threadPatrickleeFeb 25, 2023

@kevinhearne I remember my physics teacher.

I did nothing for a quarter and got a 32% grade.

He told me I could do better.

I did. I did 150% the second quarter and that C+ is my proudest grade I’ve ever received.

He worked on Saturn Rockets.

Show threadoniraptorFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne
that's perfect.
Show threadPeter BrownFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne most teachers make a difference at some point to someone…that is valuable.
Show threadSparrow 🎄🎁Feb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne : 👏👏👏👏
Show threadKimFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne it has been a couple of years since I could no longer afford to teach. Does not pay enough, sadly. Now I work in the city and occasionally bump into my previous students. Some want to share just that one thing that made their lives better in hindsight. Often not what you expect. The nugget of knowledge? no. Your unique skills to impart? no. Mostly you gave them a break at the time they needed it the most, when no one else would.
Show threadMoyerTherapyFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne same as a child therapist — nice to hear back 20 years afterward …
Show threadSimon 🌻Feb 25, 2023

@kevinhearne Kevin, not sure if you have heard of Ian Wright. He was a professional footballer with Arsenal and England. This video was how a teacher turned his life around. it’s a lovely 3 minutes

https://youtu.be/VplePNEU2PI

Ian Wright tearfully remembers childhood teacher

YouTube
Show threadVardenFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne My 9th grade English teacher is still providing grace and precision. I'm passing along as much of it as I can to my grandchildren.
Show threadPhil SherryFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne My high school English teacher hated me, always graded my work low on purpose, made constant examples of me in class, and was fond of telling me I’d never make anything of myself. She was fucking awful. But I’ve had more books published than she ever did and I didn’t mention her in any of them.
Show threadpatrickcoFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne @TheConversationUS We all have these teachers in our lives who were key to us becoming who we are today… This is such a critical role in our society and it’s no surprise “leaders” with totalitarian aspirations go after them - either to control them or to denigrate them. So … THANKS so much to all the teachers out there!
Show threadTheMedievalDrKFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne From my first book. We do not forget!
Show threadBob BenzFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne This is great. Two thoughts: 1. Nothing makes my day like hearing from a former student/mentee about how my guidance helped them. 2. Given that, I've been making a point of reaching out to teachers who made a difference for me years ago. I'd encourage everyone to do this ...
Show threadMorganFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne High school is generally a rough time for everyone, and any teacher that provides a sanctuary is a blessing. I’ve written to those who stood out in my memory, even 30 years later (the alumni center forwarded my letters) and the response I got showed me how meaningful it was. As an ece educator no one tends to remember me later but I know how important Yet unrecognized it is what all teachers do
Show threadShar_sharFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne teachers are having a rough time, too. I have both teachers and students in my family. Teachers are trying their best in a hostile environment. Disresprct for the teacher starts at home. When parents say they know best & do not respect established history & science, chaos in the classroom ensues. People want education like their news. They only want what they see as true, not what is.
#education
#teachers
# Fox
Show threadTodd ViolaFeb 25, 2023
@kevinhearne Last year, I wrote a letter to my eighth grade English teacher to tell her what her attention and encouragement had meant to me, and to thank her. It felt great just to put it all down on paper. Later she phoned to thank me for the letter, and we had a lovely talk. It was our first contact in almost 40 years. Free advice to anyone reading this: if you’re thinking about writing such a letter to someone in your life, do it.
Show threadKevin HearneFeb 25, 2023
@toddviola How wonderful!
Show threadosmanthusFeb 26, 2023
@kevinhearne i reached out to a teacher I had in high school to let him know I appreciated him and I wish I could do the same for other teachers who are now long gone. I wasn’t a great student because I was always “bored” but in hindsight when I’m older I appreciate the effort all teachers who care put in. Teens are rough
Show threadChristine MalecFeb 26, 2023
@earthchild @kevinhearne Totally! I recently read a classroom described as being full of blank-faced kids who were either bored or uncomprehending. Lots of times in school my blank face was the blankness of processing, that twirling clock hand where it seems like nothing's happening, but really a lot is happening. Hang in there teachers, you never know.