Publisher's Note - A Lifetime of Teachers

A LIFETIME OF TEACHERS

We are very happy to be introducing a short series of articles about teachers in Okeechobee.

Teachers have one of the toughest, most demanding jobs in any community. Motivating kids to achieve, finding ways to help them learn lessons when they stubbornly refuse to care, and ensuring they are prepared for the challenges they face as they grow into adulthood is not an easy job. I hope you’ll join us in celebrating these vital members of our community.

But we don’t just learn lessons from the teachers we meet in classrooms; we also learn lessons from people close to us as we grow. It’s from our parents and our community that we learn integrity, work ethic, kindness, and more. We are gifted with a lifetime of teachers if we’re willing to open our eyes and ears and continue to learn.

Jim Wider was one of the men that I was lucky enough to learn from when I was a boy in Colorado Springs. Jim, an avid biker, rode with Uncle Billy and my grandmother in the mountains to the west of the city and regularly joined us for holidays and birthdays. He was a constant source of uplifting generosity and kindness.

In the world around us, Jim, after leaving his military career behind, was embarking on an art career that would see his paintings sold to Oprah Winfrey, Gen. Colin Powell, Maya Angelou, and more. His walls are now filled with plaques and letters of recognition from the Air Force Space Command, the U.S. House of Representatives, and both the Colorado and Texas House of Representatives. To me, though, he was a good family friend who taught me gentle kindness and good humor. He also taught me to appreciate art.

Speaking of art, in this issue, along with our regular range of columns and articles, we’re also pleased to be sharing Raye Deusinger’s unique view of The Highwaymen and the threads of their story that run through Okeechobee. We hope you’ll enjoy it and find some inspiration of your own.