Smith is far from a conventional instructor
JENNIFER PEARSON
Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: Around Campus
Another account Smith mentioned was a former student that he ran into at a coin-operated laundry mat, who admitted that Smith's class actually saved her life. The student said that during the semester, she was going through a severe depression that eventually led to an attempted suicide. She had driven out onto the freeway, and began driving towards the opposite end of traffic, hoping a large enough vehicle would deplete her and her little Volkswagen bug.
Just as she missed a fatal collision with an 18-wheeler, she pulled over to the side of the road, and suddenly began to remember a few poems read in Smith's class, particularly Wordsworth's I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud.
"She suddenly realized that at that moment, she wanted to see another sun rise. She wanted to see another sun set. She wanted to see another flower, just like the poem had mentioned. And she admitted that if it weren't for those poems read during class, she might have gotten back there on that road and killed herself,"
Smith's tone had become soft at the telling of this story, and after shaking his head incredulously at the memory, he continued, "I think all teachers, not just me, but all teachers have an impact on students that we're not even aware of. That's a case where that I saved a person's life and I didn't even know it, just by what I chose to teach in class."
Smith then delved into the many clubs in San Jacinto College that he supports, including his establishment of The Writer's Block Party, a creative writing organization that he fondly calls his "baby". Yet again, he listed several talented students he currently works with, his eyes once again growing animated as he opened an issue of Threshold Magazine, flaunting a few poems done by students whose talents he continually praised.
It was then made apparent that unlike typical interviews, whose usual focus was on the subject alone, Smith defines himself not by the credentials and accomplishments he himself possesses, but rather by the success and prosperity of his students.
"It's seeing my students succeed, seeing them get published. That is what brings me joy. That is what brings me happiness. In a way I can get a taste of immortality because I know that the writing techniques that I share with my students will be carried on. Some of them are going to teach their students, and some of them are going to share these writing tips with the students that they tutor. That is what satisfies me, and that is my main goal. To inspire."
Just as she missed a fatal collision with an 18-wheeler, she pulled over to the side of the road, and suddenly began to remember a few poems read in Smith's class, particularly Wordsworth's I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud.
"She suddenly realized that at that moment, she wanted to see another sun rise. She wanted to see another sun set. She wanted to see another flower, just like the poem had mentioned. And she admitted that if it weren't for those poems read during class, she might have gotten back there on that road and killed herself,"
Smith's tone had become soft at the telling of this story, and after shaking his head incredulously at the memory, he continued, "I think all teachers, not just me, but all teachers have an impact on students that we're not even aware of. That's a case where that I saved a person's life and I didn't even know it, just by what I chose to teach in class."
Smith then delved into the many clubs in San Jacinto College that he supports, including his establishment of The Writer's Block Party, a creative writing organization that he fondly calls his "baby". Yet again, he listed several talented students he currently works with, his eyes once again growing animated as he opened an issue of Threshold Magazine, flaunting a few poems done by students whose talents he continually praised.
It was then made apparent that unlike typical interviews, whose usual focus was on the subject alone, Smith defines himself not by the credentials and accomplishments he himself possesses, but rather by the success and prosperity of his students.
"It's seeing my students succeed, seeing them get published. That is what brings me joy. That is what brings me happiness. In a way I can get a taste of immortality because I know that the writing techniques that I share with my students will be carried on. Some of them are going to teach their students, and some of them are going to share these writing tips with the students that they tutor. That is what satisfies me, and that is my main goal. To inspire."
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