THANKS TO THE GREAT TEACHERS

BY: Michael A. Aun, FIC, LUTCF, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame

I have been blessed in my life to have many great teachers, both in and out of the classroom…

The greatest mentor of all was my grandfather (Jiddo in Arabic), Elias S. Mack, Sr., the late mayor of Lexington. He was a Lebanese immigrant who had very little education himself. But he taught me to dream and, more importantly, he taught me to write those dreams down in a journal. My first journal was started at the age of 11. I now have over 250 in my possession. Thank you Jiddo.

My second grade school teacher, the late Mrs. White, who was also our next-door neighbor, taught me that I shouldn't try to pocket my lunch money. That little stunt got back home to my mom quicker than I did that day. Another lesson learned. Thank you Mrs. White.

My fourth grade teacher, the late Mrs. Margaret McSwain, taught me to laugh. Never have I met anyone with a more infectious laugh. Thank you for teaching me to laugh at the little things Mrs. McSwain.

My eighth grade teacher, Mr. Harvey Halfacre, taught me to look at things differently. He was explaining fractions one day and I just couldn't seem to get it. Finally, the balding Mr. Halfacre grabbed a chair at the front of the room and held it high above his head and screamed the word "invert, invert, invert." Bingo! The lights went on and I knew I had to invert my fractions to solve a problem. The power of visual effects is awesome. Thank you Mr. Halfacre.

My ninth grade Latin teacher, Mrs. Iva Littlejohn, taught me that there is a "southern" form of Latin. Never has Latin been spoken with a stronger southern accent. All I remember from that book were the opening lines on the first page… "Ubi est insula?"… Where is the island? What I learned in her class though serves me every day of my life because a large part of the English language is derived from Latin. Understand the English derivative by understanding the original Latin meaning of the word. More lights went on. Thank you Mrs. Littlejohn.

My high school "B" team football and track coach, the late Carl Stegall, taught me how to kick a football. "The most important thing you have to do," he said, "is to keep your head down and follow through. Create an imaginary goal post with your arms and kick the ball through the imaginary goal post. When you've kicked the ball, reach down and grab a blade of grass. The crowd will let you know if it went through the goal posts." Coach Stegall was right, and it applies to life as well! You have to keep your head down and follow through with everything you do to be a success. Thanks Coach Stegall.

My high school Guidance Counselor, the late William Moses, took the time to coach me as a speaker, and I went on to win the South Carolina Oratorical Speech Contest in high school. Eleven years later, I won the World Championship of Public Speaking for Toastmasters International, thanks to a teacher who cared enough to spend the time with me. Thank you Mr. Moses.

My high school Algebra teacher, Jim Shirley, knew I would never be a rocket scientist, so he allowed me to pass an Algebra class if I kept my mouth shut and didn't snore too loud during class. I got a gift- an undeserving "D" in the class just for showing up. However, he'd be proud of the fact that I routinely give motivational speeches to the NASA rocket scientists and astronauts at the Kennedy Space Center here in Florida.

My high school football and baseball coach, J. W. Ingram, taught me that "winners never quit and quitters never win." In baseball, he always taught me to charge the ball from my third base position and to always get in front of it. What if you charged your problems the same way and always "get in front of them?" Today, our insurance agency has 18 offices throughout central Florida and every day our agents have to face failure and the task of overcoming adversity. Thanks Coach Ingram for teaching me to never quit.