The above picture was taken today at Fort Steuben Mall in Steubenville, Ohio. The woman I am standing with is Dr. Mary Antoinette Sunyoger, my most admired and respected professor from my undergrad days at Franciscan University of Steubenville. She and her husband even attended my graduation party in Pittsburgh and were guests at my wedding to Brian. Today, Brian and I piled the boys into the van and headed out to see Dr. Sunyoger at a book signing for her new book, Life Lessons.
I will always remember my first class with Dr. Sunyoger. It was the spring of 2006, and I registered for Grammar and Its Teaching Methods as well as Rhetoric. I had heard of Dr. Sunyoger through others who had taken classes with her before, and I had met her for about five minutes when she had to sign a form to waive a prerequisite for me to take her class. Everyone raved about her. Still, I wasn't quite sure what to expect on that dreary January day in 2006.
Dr. Sunyoger walked into class and immediately had us put our desks into a circle. She took role and made sure to learn each of our names that very first day. I remember how much she loved my Steelers finger nails (Pittsburgh was on its way to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995, so I went all out!) Then, she got down to the rules and class expectations. She is the only person in the world who can be serious and stern about the rules all while smiling and pleasantly going through them. It was quite the paradox. Somehow, though, within the first ten minutes of class, she had earned every single student's respect. That's not an easy task. Plus, she did it without us even really knowing how it happened. You couldn't help but leave class with a little bit of fear (I had a feeling she'd come down hard, but rightly so, if you didn't keep up with the work and come prepared to class). You were also excited as you left the room that first day. Her class would be exciting and she was beyond passionate about teaching. At 9am, that was a very good thing.
As the days passed, I grew to LOVE her class and LOVE her. I enjoyed the reading and couldn't wait to participate in class discussions. I also really appreciated the way she cared about us as people, not just as students. I remember one morning when I was feeling particularly homesick. I had cried that morning getting ready and just wasn't into participating much in class. I missed my parents and my house and my two dogs, and I wanted to go back to Pittsburgh at that moment and never return to Steubenville. I had shut down in class and zoned out for much of it. I remember after class, Dr. Sunyoger pulled me aside and walked with me down the hall very slowly and checked in with me to make sure everything was okay. The best was, she actually listened to me! I had never had another teacher or professor ever do that before. It meant a lot to me, and it is a moment I will never forget.
Her class required a lot of writing. For my entire career in school, I had always been told I could not write. My writing was too repetitive, my teachers would say. My mom had been proofreading my papers all through college and that was allowing me to pull high B's on them in English classes. The test and quizzes kept me at A's somehow. However, I knew this writing weakness would be an issue in this class, so I took advantage of Dr. Sunyoger's office hours and had her help me with the first paper that was due. She took extra time to show me how to stop being repetitive, and she taught me how to actually write a strong thesis statement. She was the first teacher in my entire life to say, "You are a great writer. Fantastic job!" She gave me the confidence to write more and made me believe in myself as a writer. She even read some of my still unfinished novel and said, "One day you will be a famous novelist. I just know it." (I'm still trying to finish that novel. One day I will have time!) She believed in me, and she gave me the confidence necessary to finish out college as a good writer. Why it took 21 years for me to hear that I am a good writer, I'm not sure. Maybe it's because Dr. Sunyoger saw the potential in me that others had missed when it came to my writing. Maybe it's because she cared enough to help me become a good writer. She taught me to believe in my writing abilities and not be scared to put pen to paper. That is a gift for which I will be forever grateful.
Dr. Sunyoger is an AMAZING woman of God. She goes above and beyond for her students and loves each one as if they are her own. She is tough but fair, just as any good teacher should be. When I tutor each evening, I try to remember what she taught me and how to really take a special interest in each individual student. I try to ask them about the day they had and take an active interest in their daily activities. I do this because she taught me to do it, and I know from being on the receiving end how beneficial it can be for a student. I am not perfect at it, and I fail all of the time. But I am trying, and I am trying to improve with each tutoring session that passes.
In her new book, Dr. Sunyoger talks about Life Lessons that her students have taught her. I'm pretty sure all of her students could write a book about what she has taught us. I was truly blessed to have her for three classes while at Franciscan University. I wish I could've taken more. I will forever treasure how she taught me to write and believe in myself as well as what she taught me about being a great teacher. How different my life would be had our paths not crossed on that snowy January day. God is good.
Dr. Sunyoger, if you read this and there are grammatical errors, I apologize! I may need to retake one of your classes! I am losing my touch! :)
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| Dr. Sunyoger and myself at my graduation party back in 2007. I say we have aged incredibly well! |
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