In God We Trust

The teachers I've had who made the largest impact on me as a student were those who inspired me with words of wisdom. One such teacher was my high school political science teacher, Dr. James Marshall. When I had him, the man seemed like some kind of refugee from the 1950's. He always wore these thick, black-rimmed glasses that resembled the bottom of Coke bottles and his teeth possessed the exact appearance of bake beans. He wasn't a strongly built man, rather thin and short. He also had a belly that protruded far out in front of him. In all, he resembled the stereotypical 60 something year-old teacher that he was. Two things come to mind when I think about how this man inspired me.

First, shortly after the start of the school year, Dr. Marshall informed us that a recent trip to the doctor revealed that his health wasn't so great. For someone who had been teaching 40 plus years (he would tell us stories about past students who wrote to him during the Korean and Vietnam War), he seemed to be holding up fairly well. He announced how he was going to start to take care of himself better and that he was going to begin jogging everyday. At first I was skeptical of his vow, knowing his advanced age and present health would make it extremely tough for him. However, I quickly realized just how serious he was. Everyday, for the next 8 months, this man ran after school for miles. By the time June rolled around, "Doc" had lost so much weight that he seemed like a different person. He obviously payed a visit to his dentist because his teeth became much whiter and cleaner. He became such a proficient runner that he openly challenged any student to run an endurance match with him. Needless to say, he left many teenaged high schoolers in the dust. The metamorphosis this man had undergone taught me that nothing is unachievable and that it is never to late to improve oneself.

The second thing this man did to inspire me was to give the class a farewell speech on the last day of school. To this day, I don't think I've ever heard a better one firsthand. "Doc" began by telling us how proud he was of everyone and that he wished us nothing but the best for our futures. He then went on to say, "If you ever feel that life is getting you down, that there are just too many things that you can't handle, that life is no longer worth living and you can't go on, find a quiet spot to sit for moment. Reach into your pocket and pull out a penny. Look carefully at that penny and you will find a saying that has kept our country together for over the last 200 years. Repeat the saying to yourself and think about what it means. If you follow that saying, you will find all the strength you will ever need. In case you haven't looked at a penny lately, the saying I'm referring to is 'In God We Trust'. If you remember only one thing I have said this year, remember this."

As years went on, I never fully understood the power of that saying until graduate school. I think what "Doc" Marshall was trying to tell us was that belief in a higher power can be an incredible source of strength. I also think he meant that no matter how bad things may seem at a certain point in time, you should have faith that there is a reason for everything. Life is not a random, chaotic series of events that are meaningless. If there is a reason for something bad to happen, then there must be a reason for something good to happen as well. Believing that is a powerful source of comfort and strength too.

As my students are getting ready to leave my guidance, I now know what wisdom I would like to impart to them. Who knows? Maybe one day I will be reading a blog about the impact of this wisdom as explained by one of these young minds. Thanks for the words of wisdom "Doc"!