Last modified: Sunday, October 19, 2008 1:49 AM PDT

Slices of Hope: The power of a teacher

By Vincent Muli Wa Kituku

My name probably would not be Vincent were it not for my sixth-grade history teacher, the late Mr. Mutua. Teachers called students by their given names. Mine is Muli. European names were used as a special recognition based either on relationships or social status. Married people called their spouse and his or her siblings their European names as a sign of respect.

European names were given to Africans during one’s baptism. Some religious organizations give new names to converts. But in Africa, all religious sects gave Africans European names. I chose Vincent after I reading “The Power of Positive Thinking,” by Norman Vincent Peale. Mr. Mutua heard me say during class time, “When I get baptized, my new name will be Vincent.”

Mr. Mutua didn’t wait for me to be baptized. He immediately began calling me Vincent. I felt honored, recognized and given power to live up to the things that had been written by Norman Vincent Peale. As I entered seventh grade, my name was Vincent Muli Kituku.

I started thinking of little positive gestures and the influence a teacher can have in the life of a student when my daughter, Caroline, brought home a letter she had received from her teacher. Mrs. Greer, Caroline’s sophomore English teacher, had won her students’ respect and admiration. I have visited with her and seen her in action, and I knew she had what it takes to mold lives beyond the structured lessons. She wrote:

“Dear Caroline,

“I hardly know what to say to you anymore. Your eyes run deeper than any I’ve seen in such a long time - you know what Shakespeare said about eyes, eh? Yours tell stories of centuries old - they give off light that hails from some distant place that none have dreamed of, and they are patient with those of us who struggle to understand even the smallest lessons that you conquered years ago. You remind me of a friend of mine - someone who has been with me for a long time but has been missing. I recognize her in you and at some moments, it’s almost frightening. I am usually simply amazed by your strength and abilities. Philip Levine teaches and writes from a place in Michigan. When he wrote this, he was teaching in a school district just an hour away from where the shooting of the 6-year-old girl took place. I know that you can be someone like Philip Levine someday - you are courageous enough to believe in the power of humanity and love. Philip taught love in the worst of neighborhoods, and he kept his faith in ‘man and God.’ You will teach that same sort of beauty ... that gift of yours that teaches others around you how to breathe and be patient with life.

“When I say that I thank you, I mean it. You make me feel like the teacher who rises, with gowns streaming with light, arming minds with a quiver of arrows so that others can rush like the wind and sound their own trumpets.

“Your friend, Janet Greer”

Mrs. Greer’s letter and Mr. Mutua’s action remind me of an act by another teacher, written by Rob Gilbert, editor of Bits and Pieces. A girl named Sharon had gone from person to person, including her English teacher, Miss Simmonds, getting signatures in her yearbook on her last day of high school. Rob says, “Miss Simmonds was a dedicated, devoted and demanding teacher - she wasn’t married, and didn’t have any children.” That night, Sharon, who wasn’t aware of how Miss Simmonds perceived her, saw what her teacher had written:

“Sharon, if I had a daughter, I’d want her to be just like you.”

Mr. Gilbert notes it’s been about 35 years since Miss Simmonds wrote that to Sharon. Sharon is now a high school English teacher and looks forward to the end of the school year when she can write to one of the senior students, “If I had a daughter, I’d want her to be just like you.”

There are thousands of teachers like Mr. Mutua, Mrs. Greer and Miss Simmonds who make a positive impact on the lives of the children they teach. They touch hearts, change lives and give a new meaning to a student’s future ” forever. Mr. Mutua never won a Teacher of the Year award. Mrs. Greer or Miss Simmonds may never be selected for the award. But they have won the best award ” influencing a child for a bright future. God bless teachers!

Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku is a motivational speaker and author of ‘Overcoming Buffaloes at Work & In Life.’ He can be contacted at www.overcomingbuffaloes.com or (208) 376-8724.