By Garden City Retired Teacher Norm Salt

Two major events occurred in my life during the year 2005. Two former students, upon which I unwittingly made a long-lasting impression, gave me the greatest gift that a student could give a teacher. One illustrated the power of the written word, the other, the power of the spoken word. With both students, I was treated to learning that I was someone whom they saw as making a difference in their formative years-a small effect which rippled through their lives in a way that they always remembered.

The first event happened the day I received a letter from William Walzer. As I opened it, I experienced a visual recall of "Billy" as a red-haired, curious boy. The letter asked, "Are you the same Mr. Salt who was my third-grade teacher 45 years ago? I have degrees from Princeton, Yale, and Berkley, and you were the best teacher I ever had!" An electro-chemical-biologic ZING coursed through every cell in my body!

The second event developed over a longer period of time.... Danny Weiss called me about ten years ago to invite me to lunch. I hadn't seen Dan in almost thirty years. He opened a paper bag after lunch and gave me a wooden elephant. He confessed that he had broken a ceramic elephant of mine the first week of school in my second-grade class! I laughed and said, "I guess I didn't traumatize you too much!" I had forgotten about the elephant, but I told him I recalled an unusual thing he did that year. He came in one morning and announced, "I've learned the 50 states in alphabetical order. Would you like to hear it?" I remembered that I called everyone in the class over to hear Dan. I think Dan offered to repeat the feat a few times and the class really enjoyed it.

After the day Dan and I had lunch, we exchanged letters and Christmas cards over the years. He also sent me copies of some of his books. I was even invited to his home in Connecticut to meet his lovely and talented wife, her mother, and their new baby, Teddy. Dan had become a scholar and an author. His educational background included an MBA in international non-profit endeavors, and an MA and PhD in Art History. He taught at Johns Hopkins University, had become a renowned expert in Medieval Art, and then the Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

In the spring of 2005, I received a notice of Dan's move to Easton, Pennsylvania--Dan had been selected to become President of Lafayette College. The following October, I was surprised to receive a very glossy invitation to his inauguration, which included not only a luncheon, but a dinner as well. Accompanying the invitation was a booklet with the history of Lafayette and a full biography of Dan, and a note from Dan asking me to stay the weekend for the football game as well. I was delighted to comply.

At the dinner, the dining room was filled with at least 500 people: academics from Johns Hopkins and Lafayette and other invited guests. Dan was introduced and said he would be speaking later at the official ceremony, but wanted to give special thanks to two people in particular. He said, "The first person I want to thank for coming here today is Norman Salt, my second grade teacher, who taught a frightened young boy that learning can be fun."

I shot to my feet, waved to the crowd, and experienced another electro-chemical-biological ZING! Every cell in my body got a ten-year extension! After the ceremony, Dan walked me to my car and thanked me for coming. He said, "It meant a great deal to me that you were here today."

Later I would tell friends that it was like getting the Academy Award of Teaching. It astounds me to this day that these two events happened in my fifteenth year of retirement, after a 38 -year career teaching second and third grade children. It took me a few weeks to write a thank you note to Dan. One thing I wrote was the fact that he had "made my day, week, month, and years to come." I also told him that he had done an enormous favor to all elementary school teachers everywhere.

Norm taught second and third grades for 38 years at both Homestead and Stratford Schools. Since writing this story, he has received yet another moving letter from a former student. This past August Norm turned 80 and threw himself a grand party--Dan Weiss was there.