The Random Thoughts of Louis Schmier

      Michael had to write a short first year English paper on a career he had chosen. He wanted to become a teacher. He asked me if I would be interviewed. I agreed to be cornered on a bench.

      “How would you briefly describe a good teacher,” he asked.

      “Briefly?” I thought to myself as I went into a thinking mode, put my left index finger to my puckered lips, and looked toward the sky. “I’ve written over 650 essays over the past eleven years or more on the subject over the past and he wants ‘briefly.’” But, briefly is sometimes very good to get you to think, and he needed a brief, to-the-point answer. I thought about it for a minute or two.

      Looking at him, I slowly said, “A good teacher is like a good leader. A good leader gets into the world of those she or he leads. So, too, a good classroom leader, a teacher, gets into the world of her or his students.” Then, we went on to talk a lot more.

 Louis