Recently, I’ve had two reminders of the profound difference that teachers can make in the lives of their students – emphasis on profound. I worry that I’m among those who have devalued the phrase “teachers change lives” by using it too often. Yes, the phrase is accurate. Yes, I’m sincere when I say it. But I don’t often stop to consider how inadequate it is. Teachers can alter the very shape of our lives, influencing the paths that we choose to follow and the outcomes of those journeys. That’s the level of impact that I’ve been thinking about, with gratitude and respect, these past few weeks. I hope these stories will remind you of the teachers who changed your life.
Last week, I wrote about Billie Cummings, my former teacher and lifelong friend. This week, I pay tribute to Dr. Dawn Hunter. Alas, Dawn was never my teacher. But she has been a good friend for many years. This month, I attended a party celebrating her retirement after 30 years of teaching at Chapman University.
Dawn’s career was certainly one to be celebrated. Before she started her academic career, she worked for the US Department of Education. During her time there, she was responsible for (among many other things) developing policies, regulations, national priorities, and strategies for facilitating innovative and effective educational practices and services for children with disabilities. After that, she taught high school students and adults with severe disabilities; she also designed and coordinated educational, vocational, residential and recreational programs for students with disabilities.
By the time I met Dawn, she was well established at Chapman. She retired as Professor of Teaching, but her time at the university she also served as the Director of Chapman University’s Ph.D. in Education program.
I share all this not to brag about my friend but to remark on something remarkable: During her retirement party, none of those things was mentioned by any of the numerous speakers – colleagues, students, former students and friends – who paid tribute to her at the event. Instead, they all spoke about Dawn as a person. They talked about her empathy, her compassion, her generosity, her unwavering commitment to her students. All of her students, past and present, shared that she had seen something in them that they did not see – and then helped them reach their full potential. They felt seen as whole people, appreciated and respected for who they are.
At the end of the event, Dawn shared her own story of being seen by a teacher and encouraged to go to college and then to graduate school. Grad school, she said, had never been part of her plan, in part because she wasn’t sure she was up to the challenge. Her teacher felt otherwise and, through his insight and encouragement, changed her life.
Some people have dismissed this facet of teaching as “touchy feely”. Even some of her colleagues at the event confessed that they had initially underestimated her, feeling she was “too nice” and “too soft”. Her students didn’t see her that way. They also spoke about her high standards, noting that she was a stickler for details and relentless in pushing for excellence. More than one of them used the word badass to describe her. Dawn proved that we can be both compassionate and effective. In the process, she received the strongest student evaluations of any professor on campus and earned Chapman’s highest honor for teaching.
You can see why I wish that she had been my teacher at some point. But even without being in any of her classes, I have learned a lot from her. And I did have the privilege of being a guest lecturer in several of her classes, where I talked to tomorrow’s teachers about emotional intelligence and other “soft” skills. Just being in her classroom gave me a sense of Dawn’s magic – I could feel the respect and calm in the room.
In our Time to Teach Training, one of the things we talk about is unconditional positive regard. At its core, the concept is to see students as people first and students second, and to foster an environment of mutual respect. I’ve always loved this part of the program, but Dawn’s retirement celebration was a powerful reminder of just how important it is. I look forward to continuing to teach unconditional positive regard and, as I do, working to live up to Dawn’s example.
