Galileo Galilei once said, “We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.”
Reading that makes me reflect on some of the people I regard as great teachers in my own life. I learned from them because they stopped to truly see me and pull something out that made me better and helped me to grow. Many of these teachers remain my friends today and I am able to thank them on a regular basis for the role they played in shaping the person that I am. There are others though, who I didn’t thank in a timely manner and today on Teacher Appreciation Day, I would like to thank one in particular.
I want to thank and recognize Mrs. Patricia Tompkins who was my high school Latin and Humanities teacher. Mrs. Tompkins taught with a passion and a conviction that brought ancient topics to vibrant life. She was a non-conformist and exhibited a style and sense of freedom that showed she was confident and capable in her own skin. It is because of her lessons and her example that I attempt to bring passion, excitement and enthusiasm to all of my own endeavors. And, it is because of her that I believe my own opinion of who I am and what I am doing is far more important than the opinion of anyone else.
Today, it makes me particularly proud and grateful to work for National Life Group because we recognize and value America’s teachers and school district employees on a daily basis. Through annuities offered by our insurance companies, and available within 403(b) and 457(b) plans, we help school employees accumulate savings for retirement and we show them how to create a retirement income stream that can help them to enjoy the lifestyle they want in their retirement years. But we do more than just that, and that is what makes this company truly special.
We recognize and reward exceptional school district employees across the nation through our LifeChanger of the Year program. Through this program we have recognized hundreds of school district employees who have positively impacted the lives of their students, co-workers and their communities.
Every one of us has a debt to those who saw us as something more and acted as teachers to help us discover that which was within. Through our LifeChanger of the Year program, we give people the opportunity to say thank you on a daily basis. Do you know a LifeChanger?
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