I'm going to follow the lead of one of my former students. The other day she posted this:
"So I've been thinking a lot and I have decided that every day for the rest of the month, I am going to devote my daily status to someone who has made a difference and impacted my life, big and small." Ashley Shade
I'm going to do the same.
I cannot remember a time that I could not read. Books and words have been part of me from well before my actual birth. My parents and grandparents made it a habit of reading to me every day and night. My mom says that I was an early reader, picking up the sounds and the words quickly. Great teachers throughout all of my education, but especially my early reading teachers helped to fulfill my need to read more and read better. Because of this vivaciousness for words, often when gifted something, it has been the beauty of a book. My library, started when I was born, is huge, varied, eccentric, and eclectic. Other than my immediate family members, there is one man who stands out in my mind as being one of the first and longest contributors to my personal library. Today, I dedicate my gratitude status update to Greg Coble.
Greg is a long time friend of my father's and our family. He is kind, generous, compassionate, incredibly intelligent, wise, and a believer in the power of words and education. Every Christmas for years, a new book would find its way into my hands given to me by Greg. At 6 years old, I was given a copy of the complete works of H.G. Wells. A few years later, an architecture book of all of the great man made beauties of the world. An encyclopedia of Art History would appear in the coming years. Years and years worth of book to read time and time again, all of which are in my library today.
At 6, I didn't understand much of what was given to me, but as I grew older and more confident in my reading, he gave me a world that helped develop who I was to become and what was to be my calling. He gave me a very early liberal arts education and appreciation for what was around us all. For if not for the liberal arts and the beauty of words, people, and what they can build and accomplish, then the maths and sciences have such very little meaning.
Greg, I thank you for being one of my best contributors to not only my library, but also in helping me along my journey of becoming a teacher of the English language. If not for all of those that helped me to love reading and yearn to learn more, I might not have been that for someone else. Thank you for all that you have done, all that you continue to do, and for being such a great friend to my family.
No comments:
Post a Comment