Have You Benefited From a Kind-Hearted Teacher? I Have.

On our program today, we’re airing a classic Focus’ presentation you won’t want to miss.

It’s a tribute to teachers, featuring a talk by Guy Doud, voted Teacher of the Year in 1986. His inspirational and humorous message highlights the powerful difference teachers can make when they reach out to students who feel like outcasts relegated to the sidelines of their school.

Maybe you’ve been the beneficiary of a kind-hearted teacher. I sure have. I’ll always remember Mrs. Bandy, the school nurse at my elementary school. Life at home for me was rough at that time, so after class I would often sit on a sand hill near the school, bury my head in my arms, and cry. Before long, Mrs. Bandy would come out of the building and sit down next to me. She’d put her arm around me and say, “It’ll be okay, Jimmy.” Those simple words of care and concern meant a lot to me.

My high school football coach Paul Morrow also had a transforming impact on my life. He invested in me, cared for me, and loved me. He not only invited me to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp, he paid for me to go. That’s where I accepted Christ as my Savior. Without Coach Morrow, I might have ended up in a very different place in life.

A lot of kids are as lonely as I was, and they need a teacher to step into their lives at a crucial time just like my teachers did for me. That’s why Guy Doud’s message is as relevant today as it was when he first delivered it 30 years ago.

Every day, in schools everywhere, there are teachers and coaches and faculty members investing in the lives of their students. They’re not only passing along knowledge. In many cases, they’re offering love and care that some of their students receive from nowhere else.

We owe teachers our respect and gratitude, and we’ll celebrate them today and tomorrow on our broadcast “Teacher of the Year.” Hear it on your local radio station, online, or download our free phone app.

You may also be interested in the classic DVD version of Guy’s talk titled Molder of Dreams. That and other helpful resources are available in our online bookstore.