Mike Osborn, gifted educator.

It’s Thursday, the morning when I sit at my desk and meditate on what God has given me to be thankful for in my life. This morning, as I consider how great my son’s new teachers all seem to be, I am thankful for good teachers. This leads me to Mike Osborn, one of the best teachers I ever had.

Mike taught gifted kids at Jefferson Middle School, and his class was what I looked forward to most for those three years. Mike was patient, inquisitive, and he taught us how to think critically with his weekly seminars on a variety of topics. He’d give us reading assignments on the topic all week long, and on Fridays we’d gather in the conversation corner, on pillows on the floor, and discuss ideas. Mike respected all kids, and all ideas, and gently guided us to ask the right questions. He taught us how to think, how to seek answers. He never told us the answers, even when he knew them, because he understood that the role of a teacher was to make self-sufficient thinkers out of us.

Mike believed in my writing from the start. When I was 13, he told me I had a rare talent. He is the only teacher I had throughout my pre-college education who has kept tabs on me and followed my career, and I can always count on Mike and his wife showing up to my local book signings here in Albuquerque. He has been a mentor, and a teacher, for 30 years, and now I am blessed to call him my friend.

Thank you, Mike, for all you do for kids. You are making a difference. Your energy shines bright. I am thankful for you.

Tagged: great teachers