Valley residents pay tribute to their favorite teachers

To celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Day Tuesday, May 5, we asked ArizonaRepublic readers to share with us stories about their favorite teachers. The tributes poured in from readers young and old, for teachers at all education levels. These are stories of dedication, of going above and beyond, of immeasurable kindness and patience, of life-altering lessons that go far beyond arithmetic and English.

These are stories of teachers so good, they'll make you wish you were back in school. Thank you, teachers. These tributes are for you.

Want to add your story to the list? Email it (in 200 words or less) to barbara.vandenburgh@arizonarepublic.com.

Ellen Marin and Amy Harmann — Frontier Elementary School, Peoria, Ariz.

Ellen and Amy were two of my sixth-grade teachers when I was diagnosed with cancer halfway through the year. Despite being a new student at the school, they (along with the rest of the faculty) showed my family and me nothing but support during my journey to recovery. Through the rest of the year, when I wasn't going through rounds of chemotherapy or having surgery, they were at my home, teaching me and making sure I didn't fall behind. Having this kind of support was invaluable in my educational career - I was able to keep up academically and socially with my friends and the rest of the sixth grade. More than that, they cooked meals for my family when we didn't have time between hospital visits; they came to all the fundraisers to help with my medical bills; they organized a walk-a-thon at our school to rally support for my recovery. You name it, they did it. While I realize this was a special case, these are exactly the types of teachers our education system needs. They always go above and beyond. Then years later, as a junior in college, I still reflect on the impact these incredible ladies left on my family and me. —Brooke Alden

Ms. Adria Urick — Candeo School, Peoria, Ariz.

Ms. Urick is perfect just the way she is. She is kind to everyone. I know this is true because I see it. She understands my sensory needs very well. She waits for me before school. In the morning when I get out of the car she even tries her best to sing my favorite song, but she doesn't always sing it exactly right. Ms. Urick helps me pair up with a friend to eat with at lunch. When I am not feeling like eating with a friend, I often go into my homeroom and eat while sitting next to her while she works on her laptop. She gives me challenging work that I am really good at. —Noah Prins, age 8

Ms. Collins — Manor Oaks William Bowie School, New Hyde Park, NY

Ms. Collins was our Music teacher. Despite all of our groans and how we made fun of everything she tried to do, a lifelong appreciation for music was established in us. That gift of music – flowing, beautiful and expressive – is priceless. Every time I hear Chopin, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Copeland, my mind drifts back to that small classroom. To me, music and Ms. Collins will always be one. —Roberta Cochran

Mrs. Cosic — Xavier College Preparatory, Phoenix, Ariz.

There are few students lucky enough to say they've had a teacher who has made a unique impact on them. I consider myself to be one of those lucky students. Mrs. Cosic, my English teacher at Xavier College Preparatory, is someone who continually goes above and beyond for her students. She teaches with a passion that cannot be emulated. Her eyes fill with excitement and she shows a special kind of enthusiasm. When I first met her, she was a friendly face down the hall with a sweet-scented room filled with glittery posters and UofA memorabilia. After being a student in her class and having the opportunity to TA for her, she has become more than just my English teacher. In a way, she became my mentor. What makes her an extraordinary teacher aren't just her lectures on Fireside Poets or "The Great Gatsby"; it's the many lessons she's taught me outside of English that set her apart from the rest. She taught me to take things day by day and to live in the moment. She encouraged me to chase my dreams, but most of all she inspired me to become a better person. —Savannah Rae Walters

Mr. Armstrong — Ocotillo Elementary School, Phoenix, Ariz.

The year was 1965. I was in the sixth grade. My family had recently moved to Phoenix from Niagara Falls, NY. I was having a very hard time transitioning to the culture of Phoenix; I am Armenian, and in Niagara Falls we lived in the midst of a large Armenian population. I had an Eastern accent and looked different from the other students, and they taunted me for this. They called me a dirty Mexican from New York that spoke funny. They teased me constantly.

One day after lunch, Mr. Armstrong announced that we were not going to do our regular social studies program, but that we were going to learn something new. He pulled down the map of the U.S. and explained to the students that I was from Niagara Falls. He told them it was one of the seven wonders of the world. He then explained that although I was American, my grandparents migrated here in the 1920s from Armenia. He pulled down a map with Armenia on it and explained how the Armenians had to leave because of the Armenian genocide by the Turkish government. After that lecture, he pulled down the map of Mexico and explained how the Mexican people came to be. I will never forget him telling the students, "If Janice were Mexican she would be very proud to be Mexican, but she is Armenian and she is very proud to be Armenian." He ended the discussion by asking the students to go home and ask about their heritage, and to be prepared to share the next day. I was never teased again. —Janice Morrison

Ms. Molly Gum — Cactus Shadows High School, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Ms. Gum, my sophomore English teacher, helped me to improve my writing and made me feel welcome in her class. Her teaching methods inspired me, and every day I looked forward to coming to the class. She encouraged me to start taking vocab quizzes by myself and to become a more independent worker. She would always let me to talk to her and tell her stories when I was upset. When I didn't do so great on a test, she motivated me to do better next time. Being welcome in her class helped me perform to my max potential and I am the happiest person I can be when I'm in Ms. Gum's room. She is a big reason why my handwriting improved. She is more than my English teacher, she is a good friend. —Joe DiBella

Miss Hazel Morterud — Lincoln Elementary School, Duluth, Minn.

The little foreign boy walked into Miss Hazel Morterud's first-grade class tightly clutching his mother's hand. The family had arrived in the United States three weeks before after spending four years as displaced persons in Germany at the end of World War II. The school year had just started and it was time to get the 6-year-old into the system and acclimated to his newly adopted country. What Miss Morterud was thinking as this 6-year-old, not knowing a word of English, arrived and presented himself shyly, is unknown. Miss Morterud was in her late 50s after teaching for many years and, I suspect, she let out a sigh as she contemplated the challenge standing before her. What she did, how she did it and what the challenges were in communicating with a 6-year-old non-English-speaking student is left to the experience of a lifelong teacher who had chosen to dedicate her life to teaching. This is a very belated thank you to Miss Morterud for getting me started on that ultimately successful educational process. —Ivars Vancers

Mr. Maki — Cactus Wren Elementary School, Phoenix, Ariz.

In the summer of 1983, when I was eight, I'd have laughed at anyone who would have said there would be competition for the title of my favorite person. It was indisputably Michael Jackson. My love for the the King of Pop ran deep — and then I was placed in Mr. Maki's third-grade class. Mr. Maki was cool and young, and all the girls had the innocent kind of crushes you have at that age. But what was best about Mr. Maki was that he was patient and kind, and he listened to his students. He didn't talk down to us, but rather encouraged us to think for ourselves. Everyone in our class fought to be line leader and walk next to him. He oozed "good person" vibes. He taught me how important it was to always try and seek out knowledge and different points of view. A month or so into the school year, I wrote Mr. Maki a note on an index card. It read: "To Mr. Maki,You are very nice to me. I think Michael Jackson is cuter than you but you are too! I love Michael Jackson and you." He chuckled, and I quickly forgot about the note. The last day of school, he called me over to his desk and pulled the card out of his pencil drawer. "Theresa, it's been an honor to be your teacher this year. You have quite the imagination and are a good writer. Keep that up. Oh, and one more thing. This note means a lot to me, but I want you to have it and save it. I think you'll get a kick out of it when you grow up." He was right. I still have it, and whenever I happen across it, it reminds me to be thoughtful and kind and to remember how wrong I was about who I thought was my idol. —Theresa Cano

Patti Roach — Central High School, San Angelo, Texas

Mrs. Roach was feared and dreaded by most seniors at Central High School because she was the toughest English teacher on campus. Early in the fall semester, she asked our class to dissect a Thomas Huxley poem. A few weeks later, she stood at the front of the class and announced that she was "terribly disappointed" that only one student had composed a perfect paper. She expected more from our class, which included several National Honor Society students (I was not among them). She then asked that the student with the "perfect paper" come to the front of the room and read aloud his essay and explain how it was punctuated. That was me. After class, she praised me up and down and urged me to attend college following high-school graduation. I didn't intend to enroll in higher education, but that pep talk convinced me otherwise. I love you, Mrs. Roach! —David J. Ramirez

Mrs. Geake — Hidden Hills Elementary School, Paradise Valley

She wasn't really a teacher. Well, she was once upon a time, but we knew her as a principal. Her name is Mrs. Geake and she retired last year after many years of service. She was an amazing principal; she knew every student's name, not just the really good ones or the ones that had to visit her from time to time. She appeared at every school function and was more than enthusiastic about the children and their projects. She was never in her office, instead always walking the halls, talking to the kids and being an amazing role model. Her word was sacrosanct – if she said she would do something, she did it. The kids, and my grandkids, learned to be positive and to be respectful of each other. My grandson had a challenging few weeks at the beginning of school. However his behavior had dramatically improved after a month or so. I was picking him up from school and Mrs. Geake was at her ususal spot in front, saying goodbye to the kids. She came up to the car, leaned in the window and said, "John has been just wonderful for the last few weeks. Keep up the good work." The expression on his face said it all! —Chris Ellen

Mrs. Carmen – Notre Dame Catholic School, Michigan City, Ind.

Mrs. Carmen taught me about apples and cheese when I was 5. Today, I always have apples and goat cheeses in my refrigerator. And when I come to dinner parties, I bring the cheese plates, heavy on apples. When nothing sounds good, apples and cheese always sound good.

In kindergarten, Mrs. Barb Carmen tried to teach us about healthy snacks. So there was air-popped popcorn, and she would always forget to bring the butter. And there was apples and cheese. I immediately loved the tang of a cold, sharp Granny Smith with the bright zing of sharp Cheddar. Today, I experiment with different varietals of apples, and all sorts of cheeses, but no matter what the combination, I always think of Mrs. Carmen and how such a small idea – healthy snacks – had this huge impact on how I would feed myself for the rest of my life.

But I don't just think about Mrs. Carmen in the abstract when I make myself little apple, cheese and water cracker sandwiches. I think about how she was tall and pale and thin, with short brown hair and blue eyes. I think about how once, she left the radiator on in the classroom and the room got so hot that all the fish in the class tank died and floated to the top. But it wasn't that sad, because we talked about how God brings animals into heaven. And I think about how I thought Marco Tinio was cute. And I think about how my twin sister, Maureen, and I were in class together that year, and not again until we were in a few classes together Freshman year of high school. And I think about how happy I was when it was our birthday and we got to bring in the treat and it felt so special because there were two of us.

And I think about the moment I learned Mrs. Carmen died a few years after I'd left kindergarten. I was still little, at Queen of All Saints across town. I was in the parking lot, in my mom's station wagon. Mrs. Carmen had a brain tumor. I remember my mom telling my sister and me; her voice was quiet. She'd liked Mrs. Carmen. Sitting in the car, I knew it was normal for adults to die, but something about this wasn't normal. I remember feeling sad but not really knowing why. I hadn't seen her since I'd graduated kindergarten. But I felt the world was not as good now, like all the kindergarteners after that moment wouldn't get to have her as a teacher. This felt like a very sad idea to me.

Almost 30 years later, I still eat the same snack I learned to love in kindergarten. And I still think it's sad that all the kindergarteners after that moment didn't get to have her as a teacher. —Megan Finnerty

Mr. Mac — Tonto Elementary School, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Some may forget excellent teachers, of course, but others treasure brilliant memories. Mr. Mac was the first one in whom I was specifically conscious of greatness. He taught the fourth grade for years at Tonto Elementary. Pink-skinned, totally bald and gentle, he was Texas-tough through and through, reading aloud "Old Yeller" and "Savage Sam" to rapt students after cheering us on through recess games. In later years, he often wore a pith helmet and sunblock for a nose marked by skin cancer. He had us sing folk songs, memorably "Old Bonebags," as heartily as 9-year-olds could sing them. Following my allergic reaction to the perfume of the little girl beside me, and the subsequent trip to hospital and oxygen tent, Mr. Mac caught me up to the rest of the class with breathtaking ease, teaching me both long division and square dancing in a single day. I thanked him often, but wish he could later have visited my classes, where on any one day he may have observed both foreign policy lessons and the multiple uses of hacky-sack for classroom management –though he needed zero help with the latter. Thanks always, inspiring educator. —Paul Lowes

Dr. Harold Waltman — Garden Lakes Elementary School, Avondale, Ariz.

I am a fifth grade teacher at Garden Lakes and was hired by Dr. Waltman 22 years ago. I was an educator prior to Garden Lakes, re-entering the work force after raising four daughters. My concern was that it would be difficult to land a job, being 40. After the interview, I was offered the job, and he joked that "Garden Lakes could use an old dinosaur roaming the campus." That day was the beginning of a career that has spanned over 22 years with hopes of more years to come. Dr. Waltman, my teacher, has helped me to become a teacher that looks at her student not as a number, but as a child that has unlimited potential. He has inspired me to be patient, supportive, encouraging, confident; to make a difference in my school and community; and communicate effectively with teachers, students, parents, and staff. He has mentored me through the good days and the not so good days. If it wasn't for Dr. Waltman, I would not be the teacher that I am. Dr.Waltman, you are my HERO. —Victoria Walker-Stephenson

Mrs. Martha Roberts — Kennedy High School, Kennedy, Minn.

When I was in seventh grade, I suddenly grew from a petite little girl to a five-foot ten-inch giant. I felt awkward. In an effort to appear shorter, I would lean against any nearby wall. At my desk, I slid down on my spine. When I stood beside the boys, I buckled my knees. Playing volleyball in P.E. was a horror story, as my skinny arms and spindly legs flailed out of control. One day my P.E. teacher, Mrs. Martha Roberts, announced, "Today you will be weighed and measured." I panicked when Mrs. Roberts loudly announced the results after each girl was measured. When it was my turn, I stepped on the scale, bent my knees, dropped my shoulders, and waited for her to proclaim the numbers. Then I heard Mrs. Roberts whisper, "Jewell, don't be ashamed of your height. Stand tall. Be proud of yourself. Don't you know you're beautiful?"

I learned an important lesson in that class. I took Mrs. Roberts' words to heart. I pushed back my shoulders, stood tall, and accepted myself the way I was — all five-feet ten-inches of me. —Jewell Johnson

Robert Holland — University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

The one thing any teacher said that has stuck with me for 30-plus years, and that I have used in my professional life countless times and relayed to others, was this: "Don't patch a sentence, rewrite it." It is such common sense and works beautifully, but so often people think they have to fix something instead of starting again. I feel such freedom and have written so much more clearly since adopting that rule in my early journalism class with Mr. Holland. I don't work in journalism, but the axiom applies to business as well, which is a good "take away" from all those years ago. —Jill Coughlin

Robert Bamberger — University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Penn.

Books have captivated me since I learned to read. One of my proudest moments as a child was the day I got my own library card, as soon as I could write my name. After extensive reading in high school, I entered college assuming I could read just about any book set before me. Was I ever mistaken. As a sophomore I took a short stories course. Never a big fan of this genre, my goal was to learn what I was missing. Dr. Bamberger not only taught this class but he provided invaluable tools to transform my reading skills. Books are more than words on a page; they contain nuances that provoke thought and assessment. Characters are multi-faceted, so a good reader must learn to peer beneath outward actions and delve into their souls. Plots are complex, with turns and twists to engage the reader in detecting unfolding stories. I don't think I've ever looked at the written word quite the same way. He gave me incredible tools that enrich my life. College was many years ago, but I have never forgotten this incredible teacher and the priceless gift he gave me. —Judith Kunkel, Paradise Valley

Miss Leslie Hawkins — Guerrero Elementary School, Mesa, Ariz.

For the past two school years, I have been volunteering with a fifth-grade class at Guerrero Elementary School in Mesa, assisting Miss Leslie Hawkins with science, social studies, and any other areas with which she needs help. I am constantly impressed with the dedication and hard work of the teachers at Guerrero, and especially with Leslie. This school is in a low-income area, most students are on free breakfast and lunch, and for many, English is a second language. Leslie is very professional, and helps each child as an individual. They have learned science, history, and many other topics in interesting and exciting ways. She and the other fifth-grade teachers have taken students on field trips to local museums such as the Flight Museum (Commemorative Air Force Aviation Museum) and the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum), introducing them to exciting new worlds. Teachers like Leslie are very important to helping these students move on up to college and careers. They deserve our profound appreciation for what they do every day. They are the persons who have the greatest impact on the future of our State and our country. —Elizabeth Davidson

Mrs. Eugena McGowan — St. Matthew Catholic School, Phoenix, Ariz.

Mrs. McGowan began teaching at the school when my oldest son was in fourth grade, almost 10 years ago. I knew from the moment I met her, that she would forever change our lives. Mrs. McGowan has held many positions while teaching at St. Matthew and currently is the school principal. Over the years, I have watched her dedicate her entire life to the hundreds of students and families that attend St. Matthew, which happens to serve a predominantly low-income community. Mrs. McGowan has spent countless hours ensuring the children receive proper education, medical assistance, religion, tutoring, nutrition, clothing, and sense of community that truly build a foundation for our young leaders of tomorrow to thrive in. Mrs. McGowan has personally been an inspiration to me, supporting and motivating me to continue my education as a single mother. I cannot count how many times I have seen her leave the school after the sun has gone down, or arrive before the sun rises, however, it is with her own convictions, beliefs and dedication to the students at St. Matthew that she deserves to be recognized as one of the nation's most appreciated educators that I have ever met. She is truly one of a kind and irreplaceable. —Andrea R. Longoria

Tony Pantera — Eagle Ridge Elementary School, Phoenix, Ariz.

Tony Pantera taught both our children, grades 3 through 6, several hours a day. He was not just a subject teacher; he was a life teacher. Learning math and English, the students did radio plays and spatial games, visited museums, recited poetry. I saw afternoon tea, adaptations of "The Crucible" and Shakespeare he directed and origami projects. His students celebrated pi day with pie, made costumes for plays, painted great quotations on the bricks leading upstairs to his classroom. Every style of learning was embraced. He taught Latin roots and meanings. I think it's largely due to him that our children learned to love the education process and remain deeply curious and unafraid of complex topics. If I were magic, I would clone enough Tony Panteras to make sure every school had one. —Lisa Schnebly Heidinger

Mrs. Warner — Engadine Grade School, Engadine, Mich.

Mrs. Warner was my fourth grade teacher. We were taught to set specific personal education goals for each subject and establish plans to accomplish these goals. It was not acceptable to just say you wanted to perform better — we had to commit to a percentage of correct answers on weekly tests covering each subject. She insisted on specific goals and measurements of progress toward each goal. Mrs. Warner maintained that if you didn't have a specifically defined education goal you would not be able to develop a plan to reach the goal or develop a way to measure progress.

Late in the fourth grade year, we visited the fifth-grade teacher and identified skills needed to be successful the next year. Feedback was incorporated into our goal setting process. Look at Arizona's Education quandary. Many voices, many tests and policies, but an absence of defined measurable education goals. As Yogi Berra said, "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there." —John Spears

Reach the reporter at barbara.vandenburgh@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8371. Twitter.com/BabsVan.