09/21/2024
This is an article I wrote many many years ago and just came upon it on my computer.
It still holds true today
My 11th Grade Teacher
Throughout my life there are many people I would thank for many different reasons. �My Mom and Dad for letting be who I wanted to be. My brother, who is 5 years older than me, he is and always will be my best friend. My wife, who stood by me through some of the toughest times in my life and helped to get me through those times no matter how bad. Just to name a few. The fortunate thing is I have been able to thank these people for being such important people in my life. There is one person I was never able to thank….
His name is Ed Ginsberg. Mr. Ginsberg was my 11th and 12th grade Social Studies teacher. He was the best of any teacher I ever had. I graduated from high school in 1981 in Poughkeepsie, New York. I happened to live in a very good school district, but found most of my teachers to be, well how do I say, “somewhat uninspiring”. They all seemed to do everything by the book, literally! Read chapters 2 and 3, outline the chapter and then go over those same two chapters the next day in class and outline them again. It worked, I learned, but come on.
Mr. Ginsberg had tenure, but his methods were much, much different. The first day of class we would as students all stand in the back of the class until the teacher assigned us our seat. When we walked into Mr. Ginsberg’s class, he looked at us and said, “Just sit anywhere”. I know that sounds trivial, but for me it was comforting. I asked him about that later in the year and he told me, think about it Craig, the seats you choose on day one is the seat most of you are still sitting in 4 months later. You sat where you were comfortable, who cares if the seats are all in straight lines or who sits where, it’s about learning not sitting in alphabetical order.
For 11th graders in New York we had to take a Regents Exam at the end of the year for each class. My friends, who had different teachers taught their entire curriculum out of the blue anthology. Mr. Ginsberg handed out the book, but I think we opened it once or twice the whole year. He taught with examples. For instance, when we were studying the 1960’s, one day he brought in a man who was at Kent State during the riots where the students were shot at and killed by the National Guard to speak about his experience and his feelings about the Vietnam War. The next week, Mr. Ginsberg brought in a veteran of the Vietnam War to get his perspective on the war. It was so interesting; I couldn’t wait to go to his class every day. He made me want to learn, he made me want to understand history by asking questions, not just memorizing information out of a book.
This is how we were taught throughout the year. It was amazing. He opened my mind to looking at all sides to a story. Understanding the different positions of people throughout history, not to pass judgment without truly understanding the whole story. Things seemed to make more sense. He made me want to learn more. I can’t even explain how much that helped me throughout my adult life. I have never stopped since and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
His classroom was all about give and take. Most of the other teachers didn’t seem to care for his teaching techniques. But they couldn’t argue with his results. His classes passed the regents exam in the top 10% amongst 11th graders. I got a 99% on the exam. The heck with the “blue anthology”
I took his class in 12th grade as an elective. After I graduated, I never saw or spoke with Mr. Ginsberg again. But he will forever be a part of my life. If you happen to come across this article Ed………….
THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
