Recently I watched a rather sappy movie made in 2004. It starred the great Maureen O’Hara. Older, but still as beautiful as she was in her heyday, she played a retired Latin teacher, who while in the hospital, reconnected with one of her former students.
It made me remember my wonderful Junior High School Latin Teacher. His name was Mr. Polito, and he made the subject come alive. He taught me to love words, dictionaries, and the language. He taught us about history, mythology, and so very much more.
I wish I knew where he was now so that I might tell him how much I appreciated him, and what his love of teaching meant to me. But, like so many other people who have touched my life, I have no idea how or where I might find him, or even if he is still with us on this mortal plane.
It is unlikely that he would remember me, even though I sat in his class for two years. I was a so-so student and would not have stood out as someone whose life would be enriched and changed by his teaching.
Latin is rarely taught in the schools anymore. I think that is a sad loss. These days, there is so much more to learn as the world becomes more complex. Student’s lives are filled with so many distractions that some things will be left behind. But to this day, I am grateful for the teacher who advised us to get a Webster's Unabridged Collegiate Dictionary. That was the gift I was given for my thirteenth birthday that year. How wonderful ... a world of words.
Posted by Judi at July 22, 2008 11:29 PM | TrackBack