There is an old saying: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This saying absolutely captures the transformative impact that good teachers can have on our lives.
There is a lot of debate these days about how much we should spend on education. America ranks fourth in the world in educational spending but has experienced a slow decline in international test scores, as measured by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Internationally, America ranks 28th in math and 12th in science out of 37 countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Interestingly, Japan ranks 20th in spending and first in math and science scores internationally.
While there are many factors that drive these metrics, it’s clear that spending more money doesn’t always increase knowledge or produce a better return on investment. Benjamin Franklin said it best: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
This is where I give a big shout-out to the great teachers in our state who truly inspire, motivate and unlock the potential of their students. The teachers we never forget are the ones who saw something in us that we didn’t see. They didn’t just put numbers or letters on a chalkboard. They created the spark, then fanned the flames, allowing us to find our unique talents and abilities, and put meaning into our lives.
Plutarch, an ancient Greek philosopher, said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” Artist Pablo Picasso said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
Great teachers show us where to look but do not tell us what to see. They ask questions that challenge, and they shine lights down dark pathways that we are afraid to travel alone. They take us by the hand and lead us to knowledge and understanding.
Recently, I was in the waiting room at a doctor’s office in Bryant and met Carol Rushing, who had been a kindergarten teacher for many years. She told me that kids never forget their kindergarten teacher. Carol speaks the truth.
Mine was Miss Dinkel, and I remember her vividly. I will not lie. Miss Dinkel and I had a rough start.
One of our learning exercises consisted of a cardboard shoe cutout with laces woven into it, and the task was tying the shoestrings. I could not. Another lesson involved a cardboard cutout of a rotary dial telephone, and on the center of the dial was a big white space to write your telephone number. I could not.
This prompted a parent-teacher conference. My single mom met with Miss Dinkel, who proceeded to tell her that I was not the brightest bulb in the class. Miss Dinkel said that I could not tie my shoes and did not know my telephone number, and this was concerning.
My mom informed her that I had only ever worn cowboy boots and never had to tie shoes, and we did not have a telephone and thus, no telephone number. They reached a consensus that I was not a lost cause, and I remained in the class.
I do not remember my first, second or third grade teachers, but I absolutely remember my fourth grade English teacher, Mrs. Howell. She made us write in a daily journal and gave us feedback on our writing. At this time, I was in a private Catholic school and certainly one of the poorest kids in the class.
Being poor with cheap clothes, shoes with holes in the soles, and parents who pick you up from school like “Uncle Buck” in a junky car can make a young kid a bit self-conscious, when all the other kids have Nikes, nice clothes and shiny new cars. It can wreak havoc on your confidence and desire to be at school, and ultimately your education.
Mrs. Howell looked past the faded jeans, the worn shoes and the angry kid in her fourth grade class. Instead, she saw something in me that I didn’t know existed. Her daily notes in my journal were kind and thoughtful. Some days, critical, challenging on other days and inspiring every day.
She ignited a spark and then fanned the flames of my imagination, allowing me to see myself in a future better than the present. I am sure that if she were grading this article, there would be many corrections and notes in the margins. But somewhere near the top of the page would be a comment like, “You did it, kid.”
Teachers make a difference. If we want to get the best return on our tax dollars for education, history tells us that we should invest in great teachers first. Guy Kawasaki, who helped launch the Macintosh computer at Apple, said, “If you have to put someone on a pedestal, put teachers. They are society’s heroes.”
We are doing just that this month by recognizing two amazing rural Arkansas teachers: Jimi Ann Scott, a fifth and sixth grade math teacher at Bobby Barrett Elementary School in Mount Ida, and Carrie Altom, an eighth grade English language arts teacher at Tuckerman High School in Tuckerman. They were recently named the 2026 Arkansas Rural Education Association’s Teachers of the Year,
proudly sponsored by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas (see page 12).
Teaching can be a thankless job. When is the last time you reached out and truly thanked a teacher who made a difference in your life? It is never too late, until it is. Thank a teacher today!