All that I am as a public speaker today I owe to my 8th grade teacher.

More than that, my second son had his life changed by a teacher who told him he could write and by another teacher who insisted on his taking German III. That allowed him to study in Germany and to receive an honors degree from the University of Wisconsin in German studies.

You may be able to add your own story to these.

So, why do I write these words? Because school is about to start and I want to encourage all of our instructors to “be that teacher”.

I know. We are inundated by the demands of testing and other mandates. But, in the midst of all of that, I want to remind you that you have the power to literally change someone’s life for the better. It is an awesome gift and I plead with you to not take it lightly.

“Be that teacher”!

Years from now, your name will be on their lips when they say, “My life was changed forever because (fill in your name) saw an ability in me that I did not see and challenged me to claim it, and that has made all the difference.”

Rev. David Fischer is the Pastor at First Christian Church in Lexington