And this week’s (Sept 13-Sept 19, 2013) movie of the week is… Star Wars! AND TEACHERS!

Gee, who didn’t see that one coming? But actually our runners up, American History X and The Matrix did fairly well going up against this cinematic behemoth. Seeing as Star Wars has been written about and discussed as often as Bill Murray repeats February 2 in Punxsutawney, I’ve decided to switch things up a bit. This week’s nominees were chosen not out of a certain decade, but in honour of teachers. I would like to take a moment and share about those teachers who made an impact on my life. I realize how self-serving this sounds, but for those of you who choose to stick around and read on, I promise you that the teachers mentioned herein deserve it:

My first favourite teacher was Mrs. Gerard in grade 2 (Attention American readers: I know that you say “second grade.” And yes I know that “grade 2” sounds strange to you. Can we not talk about this anymore?). Then again, any kids who went to Mountain View School at the time that I went (and for MANY years later) would say the same. Adults knew she was very skilled in getting students to grasp new ideas and skills, but in the eyes of the child, she was great for other reasons. The biggest one for me was her calm, confident approach. In my previous year of school–which was also my first since I didn’t go to kindergarten–I had a teacher who raised her voice and had little patience. Now that I think of it, I had that in grade 3 as well. Mrs. Gerard listened to children and didn’t freak out over things that don’t matter. Thanks Mrs. Gerard.

Another teacher that comes to my mind is Mr. Hay. He was my Scout Leader in a boy’s program at my church growing up. He was the first adult I can remember who believed in me and communicated to me that he did. There were many adults I looked up to and respected when I was a child, but Mr. Hay was the one of the few who made me feel like he felt the same way about me. This inspired me to be a good person and to strive for great things in life. Thanks Mr. Hay.

Mrs. White was my history teacher in grade 8. I was scared to death to have her as a teacher. I heard she was stern, and boy did she look it! She seemed to have a scowl all the time. But it was just a few days into her class that fall of 1986 that she did what I thought was impossible: she got me interested in history. I’ve always loved that subject ever since. Honestly, I can’t remember how she did it; nothing stands out in my mind. But seeing as this was a subject I had always struggled with, even in college and seminary, my interest in it has kept me afloat. Thanks Mrs. White.

I really liked taking French. In my last year of high school I wasn’t required to take it, but I took it because I enjoyed it and, more importantly, did well in it. And my teacher? Mrs. White! ..but yeah this was a different one. I guess White is a common name amoung educators. Where Mr. Hay communicated respect to me, Mrs. White communicated this to the entire class. She showed genuine interest in us, what our interests were (I did a speech in French on Rowdy Roddy Piper!), what our struggles were. This was even true of the students who gave her a hard time. As a result, her class is the one I remember conversations most from. Her kindness and vulnerability was endearing and something we could all depend on and benefit from. Thanks Mrs. White #2.

I will never forget Chuck. On the course selection guide online he was “Dr. Killian,” but he was ok with everyone calling him Chuck. He was teaching us seminarians the fine art of storytelling. This course was by far the most influential to me than any other I’d taken in my life. He did funny things like ask us to bring markers, scissors and glue with us to class, tell us a story and not explain what it meant, sit in silence for an extended amount of time, and figure out our life story just by hearing a story we wrote and asking us questions. His is the only class I can remember being in where for years later I would still think about things he said or stories he told. I wish I could tell stories like he does. Thanks Chuck.

And thanks to so many others: Richard Starks for teaching me how to install stuff in the house, to Mike Hamilton who taught me how to paint cars and dye furniture, to Darin Squire for teaching me tolerance and patience with those who are not tolerant, to Marlayne-the-girl-from-Newfoundland-now-living-in-BC-who-is-just-visiting who taught me how to kiss when I was a teenager, to my brother for teaching me to read when I was struggling with it as a six-year-old, to my wife for teaching me to be patient and loving, and to my kids who have taught me more than I can write about right now.

Congratulations teachers (and Star Wars), this is your week.