Here's the story, of a girl named Dailey...

Many moons ago, there was a painfully she 13 year old girl, in an English class full of over-achieving 13 year olds.  Cliff notes:  speech unit; nauseously nervous shy girl; read speech at lightening speed directly from paper in front of face; class laughed at girl; girl vows to never speak in public again.

Fast forward to high school.  Girl is still shy-ish, but has friends and is dating a football player.  Downside is, said friends and boyfriend are in girl's English class.  Speech unit comes around, and the memories return.... not gonna happen.  Girl calculates that since she is a good student with an A in the class so far, she will opt out on the entire speech unit, still earn a D+ or so cumulatively, and beg her father's forgiveness at report card time.

English/Speech teacher, Mr. Potter, pulls girl aside and asks why she isn't giving her speeches like the rest of the students.  Girl says she just doesn't want to.  Mr. Potter pushes for an answer.  Girl tells Mr. Potter about previous incident and says she's okay with getting the lower grade.  The next day, Mr. Potter again pulls girl aside after class and suggests that she come in during her study hall time and deliver the speeches one-on-one to him.  Girl is unsure and initially hesitant, but accepts the teacher's offer, delivering one speech per week for the following six weeks.  English grade unmarred.  Whew!

Girl graduates...goes to college...moves away...starts a career...in Human Resources.  She talks to people all day.  She provides workshops in rooms full of people, teaching them about personality differences and self-awareness.  One day she thinks about the irony of her vocation.  Once the joke butt, she is now the speaker.

Girl tracks down Mr. Potter, meets him for lunch and tells him the story.  He says he remembers her as a pensive and laconic student, but does not specifically remember the incident she describes.  His comment triggers memories of his arduous vocabulary tests and she shares that her sons and grandgirls have robust verbal skills.  He suggests that they are trenchant, and she quickly adds the word as #127 on her list of "100 new words for 2016".  She thinks to herself that this man is probably to credit for her love of words and thus her logophilic children.

The impact of this man's teaching spans 33 years!  I'm forever thankful that he was the type of teacher who thought outside the box...not just so that I could develop into a confident speaker, but so that I didn't have to face my dad with a D in English all those years ago...

Pursuing Kaizen, & feeling supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, ~Shugie

May the ripples you send forth this day be guided by the impulse of loving-kindness,

selflessness, non-judgment, compassion, and joy.  This is what our world needs now

and you are the "perfect pebble" to make some mighty waves.

Author Unknown