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 Teaching – The Power of Influence The impact of teaching is clear, and the influence of the profession is immeasurable. All it takes is one moment, one situation, one discussion to turn the life of a young learner. | ||
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by Graysen Walles Author of TEACHING: The Greatest Career on the Planet Regular contributor to the Gazette June 1, 2009 |
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 A Teacher’s Negative Influence During her tender teen years, prior to her pregnancy with me, she was bused to an all-white school. This took place during the 1960s, when busing had become the socially-accepted means to integrate society. During that time, my mother desired to attend college, but a teacher told her that her intellectual abilities were not suited for college. That teacher recommended she pursue a profession where she could use her hands—working in the manufacturing plants in Detroit and Flint, Michigan. This comment hurt my mother, and the educator’s power of suggestion negatively permeated her soul. This later contributed to her low self-esteem and a loss of purpose. Almost ten years later, at the age of twenty-five, a friend suggested my mother attend community college. Having internalized the comments of that high school teacher, she had never believed college was a reachable goal. Those comments still made it very difficult for her to embrace the new idea and opportunity that faced her. She mentioned to me later in my adult years that only after weeks of contemplating the notion of college and reflecting on her then-current living conditions in a ghetto could she make the most transformative decision of her life. She realized she was obligated to do something for her child and for herself.
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For the past 20 years, Graysen Walles has achieved notable accomplishments across a diverse industry spectrum, delivering stellar performance in the military, non-profit, and education segments. After honing his expertise in strategic planning, operations, budget management, program development, and personnel for the U.S. Air Force and two non-profit organizations, Graysen made a smooth professional transition to public education.