Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Mystery Guest!

You know how it is.

You go to high school.

You get some mediocre teachers. Maybe even a couple of lousy teachers.

But you also get a really great teacher.

Years go by.

Something wonderful happens in your life and you know it's related to this really great teacher.

And then your best friend from high school (Hi DM!) tracks down this really great teacher for you. First, she tries the internet. No go. Then she phones your high school. No go. Then she phones the Ontario Teachers Federation. (That's the teachers' union.) Where some clerk totally bends the rules and gives her the really great teacher's current phone number. Which she dials. There's an exchange of emails.

And, voila, I'm in touch with my really great high school English teacher. I might even wangle a visit with him when I'm back home this summer. But I'm skipping ahead.



THANK YOU MISTER PETER MAGEE!

Thank you for teaching me to think outside the box. Thank you for encouraging me to take risks with writing. Thank you for making me read stuff I would never have read otherwise. And written essays I would never have written otherwise. The same goes for poetry and short stories. Thank you for giving me the courage to believe in myself. I would not be a writer today if it weren't for you.


Tomorrow: an interview with Peter (Do you see how I honoured your wishes and dropped the Mister?!) conducted by the incorrigible KELLY Couric. Which is what Peter specifically requested. No, no, don't worry about my feelings; I'm fine with it. I can be the bigger person. Yeah, it's MY blog. And, yeah, you were MY teacher. But, hey, it's cool if you want Kelly to do the interview. I won't even interrupt....too much. :)

For those of you just tuning in, KELLY Couric is Katie Couric's less famous twin. She's like Katie, only less perfect. KELLY's a little chubby, a little white trash and a little brash. She has interviewed on the blog before.

I'll also post a more up-to-date pic of Mr. Magee tomorrow. See. I do read all your emails.

17 comments:

  1. Looking froward to your interview.

    Cheers!

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  2. What a lovely idea! Can't wait to hear more about the fabulous Mister Magee. I bet he was touched that you looked him up :-)

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  3. How exciting! I had a few really good teachers. Unfortunately, I can't think of one who inspired me to write. Maybe I got a little bit of inspiration from them all.

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  4. how wonderful! i was lucky to have two really great teachers, one sadly passed from cancer years ago, they both changed my life, 'literally' saving me! i look forward to the interview!

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  5. From the looks of that picture... you must have attended his class in the 50's. ;-)

    I thought Katie's twin sister was an only child?

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  6. i had a great english teacher...i still visit when i go to angelo.

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  7. Cool. I bet he was thrilled to know he'd had such an impact on you. That has to make up for a lot of the crummy lackadaisical kids he had to have as well.

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  8. What a fantastic idea! We all talk about the teachers we had in high school, but we never hear anything from them and what they thought of us. I am looking forward to this.

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  9. That's cool. I've had student or two contact me to tell me I had a great effect on them, although not one separated by such a long time period, and, come to think of it, I think they all wanted something too.

    Your teacher has to be thrilled.

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  10. Great tribute. Looking forward to the interview. Mr. Magee must be thrilled.

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  11. My favorite teacher was Mr. Carino. He was the football coach and science teacher. He let me called him dad all through high school (cause I never had one) and people actually thought he was my dad! Oh, how I would pray he was my real father. He said he would never retire until he took our football team to the state finals, and the year after we won the state, he retired and became a pharmacist. I have no idea what happened to that man.

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  12. I had one of these teachers--a history teacher that I've kept in touch with all these years (well, not too many years). She's even read my book, which, it being a romance, was a little awkward, but she liked it and is looking foward to the next!

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  13. Your post has inspired me to search for some of those amazing, inspiring teachers I was fortunate enough to have. (I'm hoping Googling works.)

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  14. that is so awesome! glad you were able to find him. looking forward to reading what he has to say--english teachers are the best! :)

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  15. Very cool! I'm looking forward to the interview, even though you're handing the reins over to Kelly Couric. You are the bigger person for it. ;-)

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  16. That's so exciting! I would love to reconnect with some teachers that have really influenced my life.

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Comments are always welcome!