Teacher makes a difference

Young Voice by Kim Gedicks

Last year I attended school at Matanuska Christian School in Palmer. It was my eighth-grade year. That year (2000-2001) the principal informed us that he was leaving to go teach in a village up north after years of service.

His name is Ralph Lindquist. To me, he was the best teacher I've ever had and will ever have. He was the principal, teacher, girls' basketball coach and a very good friend to everyone. He taught you lessons about life through stories and basketball. One of his favorite things was basketball. He was my coach and math teacher.

Both in the classroom and on the court, he taught you everything you needed to know about basketball, or math. If you made a mistake he wouldn't get mad and impatient. He would walk you through every single step again; explaining every detail to make sure you got it and to make sure it stayed with you.

He never brought you down, he always encouraged. Never once in the two years I've known him have I seen him bring someone down. He always pushed to get the best out of you. Encouraging and pushing to make you go farther than you thought you could go. He always judged fairly, listening to both sides of the story first. Never jumping to conclusions first.

At the eighth-grade graduation, our class wanted to do something very special for him. And anyone who knows Mr. Lindquist can say that he is not the first person you would think of crying at anything. Two girls sang a song for him called "Thank You." The chorus went, "Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed. Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you gave."

At the end of the song, our class stood up to honor him. When we stood up, everyone in the audience stood up, in honor of him. Our class was not expecting that. That was the first time I had ever seen him cry -- I have proof, we got it on video. I don't think there was one person in that whole room that wasn't crying or at least starting to tear up. They were all touched by Mr. Lindquist.

I encourage any parent, that if they find a teacher or coach like Mr. Lindquist to put your kid in that teacher's class. He/she will greatly impact your child's life, and make you think differently about a lot of things, like giving more than you've got. Of course you'll never find someone exactly like him, but you can find someone similar.

Even if there are one or two other bad teachers, put him/her in the school anyway. Because that teacher, knowing them and talking with them, will be totally worth having to put up with a bad teacher. You'll never forget the experience. I know I'll never forget Mr. Lindquist, or his stories.