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Grandpa
A Teacher
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By Wendy
The most prestigious teacher I've ever known is a man who has never taught a day in a classroom. He is a seasoned man with years on his face and youth in his eyes. A man who can live through the young while believing in the old. His daily rituals enlighten the perception of both life and learning. Some of his finest methods of education are those characterized through his everyday normal life.
Grandpa has a passion for reading which draws him to the newspaper daily. With his reading glasses centered on his face and the bright lights on, he explores each page as if it were a mysterious mountain of new knowledge. It's a learning of new ideas and viewpoints that are carefully regarded in relation to his own life. This practice is passed on to his grandchildren in an obscure way. They're taught how to find horses in the want ads, or locate baseball scores in the sports section. This, to the children, is an entertaining game to please Grandpa. To Grandpa, it's a stimulation of their minds to assist them in discovering how to read, search, comprehend, and explore new angles of life. He considers it an attribute that will enhance the imagination of their inexperienced minds and aid them throughout life.
Grandpa also has an attachment for a card game in which is played as often as he drinks his morning coffee. It's a fast-paced game of addition, multiplication, and problem solving. He teaches the game to his grandchildren before they begin grade school. As his shaky hands deal the cards, he intentionally discusses his next strategies, thus forcing his opponents to calculate numbers in their heads. The cards are played fast, as he expects, and the mathematical processes of the four year old are becoming as natural as thinking itself. He not only loves the game, he loves to watch his grandchildren's eyes when they outmaneuver his plays and discover the hidden riches the game possesses. To Grandpa, the game is a tool that has a purpose which he is to use to both his, and others, advantage.
Grandpa's mind is as energetic as it is old. He continually examines objects and marvels at their mysterious backgrounds. His wisdom shines through his dialogue, and his adventurous spirit appears as he recalls stories of yesteryear. He can recount tales of his childhood like they happened today, yet what happened today is a cloud of memories in his mind. His mannerisms and etiquette are admirable while his predictability comforts others in their unregulated lives.
Grandpa is genuinely an enchanting character. He is a tribute to his family, a tribute to those who know him, and to those who don't. His subtle techniques of preparing others for the experiences which they have yet to endure, are admired, yet not always recognized. He may not be an acclaimed scholar, but he is a man whose intelligence and integrity surpass any instructor of school. Unlike most schools, his lessons are intended to fill the guidebooks of life.
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