Comments on abufares said...the world according to a tartoussi: A Letter To My Teacher

@Fantasia Your comments are as good as your posts,...

2009-12-03T11:13:32.201+02:00

@Fantasia
Your comments are as good as your posts, which btw I greatly miss.

I would say you do have a career in writing. Just...

2009-12-02T21:44:27.912+02:00

I would say you do have a career in writing. Just because you are not paid, nor bound in paper does not make you less than an author. An excellent one at that as this post confirms.

@Anonymous The honor is all mine. Thank you for th...

2009-11-25T00:06:18.198+02:00

@Anonymous
The honor is all mine.
Thank you for the kind words, really... thank you.

We are honored ,Abu Fares ya Trtoussi, to read you...

2009-11-24T02:22:30.304+02:00

We are honored ,Abu Fares ya Trtoussi, to read your nice writings !
You and Isobel, I try to read your posts and comments as well;

Thank you .

@Isobel I wouldn't/couldn't imagine a world withou...

2009-11-21T19:04:00.201+02:00

@Isobel
I wouldn't/couldn't imagine a world without yours.
Thank you for making it so much more meaningful.

Well, if this is the man to thank for inspiring yo...

2009-11-21T17:23:10.893+02:00

Well, if this is the man to thank for inspiring you to write...then I want to thank him too.

Thank you, Dr. Wooton, I wouldn't want to imagine a world without Abufares's words. It's so much richer and delightful. :)

Another wonderful post, Abufares! How heartwarming.

@Katia Somehow you and KJ need a push/shove to get...

2009-11-20T19:28:46.643+02:00

@Katia
Somehow you and KJ need a push/shove to get you back on track.
I'm sure they will be delighted so stop making excuses ;-)

A genuine "thank you" is probably the most beautif...

2009-11-20T16:45:12.919+02:00

A genuine "thank you" is probably the most beautiful tribute a teacher can get.

You made me feel like writing to the few teachers who inspired me like that. But somehow, just like KJ, I don't have the confidence to do so now...

@Allie Thank you for coming by, always:-)

2009-11-20T13:28:44.353+02:00

@Allie
Thank you for coming by, always:-)

@Omar When a teacher stirs the imagination and the...

2009-11-20T13:28:21.149+02:00

@Omar
When a teacher stirs the imagination and the curiosity of his students she has succeeded in fulfilling her role in life.
This is it plain and simple. Benevolence, amiability and friendliness are nice too, for all people to have, but a teacher who had these qualities but doesn't inspire is just another nice guy.

@lê We always tend to remember the brilliant ones ...

2009-11-20T13:24:21.690+02:00

@lê
We always tend to remember the brilliant ones and the very dumb...
I had a few of those too.

It's a beautiful letter, Abufares.

2009-11-20T05:20:31.774+02:00

It's a beautiful letter, Abufares.

What a wonderful letter Abufares. I can imagine j...

2009-11-19T18:59:32.413+02:00

What a wonderful letter Abufares. I can imagine just how Dr. Wooton must feel when he reads it, and especially after he reads your posts and Sea Side.

I think it's safe to say to everyone has at least one teacher like Dr. Wooton. Teachers that inspire us, and open our eyes to a world that was unknown to us before we met them.

i loved my teachers except one of them who was the...

2009-11-19T18:48:22.122+02:00

i loved my teachers except one of them who was the most false person I ever met, that was the teacher of religion,
lê

Your Father was and still is very wise man…trust m...

2009-11-19T18:16:59.068+02:00

Your Father was and still is very wise man…trust me I know – from my vantage point, he holds a very special place in many lives. Later in life, I had the pleasure of living abroad in Germany for 30 some years learning their language and literature and his observation is most correct {;-)

@abuf True very true True teachers deserve much mo...

2009-11-19T11:03:16.695+02:00

@abuf
True very true
True teachers deserve much more respect than they are getting
Muhammad (s) has alot of ahadiths about such things

@Mariyah Now that you're here the whole world is m...

2009-11-19T10:51:51.430+02:00

@Mariyah
Now that you're here the whole world is more beautiful:-)

I was a teacher once and among the very few regrets I have is that I abandoned that noble profession. I taught for 2 years as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and derived extreme pleasure in my interaction with students. I'm happy to tell you too that I succeeded in instilling in a few of them the significance of accepting others and not passing judgment based on geographical, ethnic and religious biases.

If you think you're lucky to be writing with me you should already know how I feel about it... but I'm sure you do ;-)

@Gabriela I think deep inside any teacher strives ...

2009-11-19T10:36:56.795+02:00

@Gabriela
I think deep inside any teacher strives for recognition not in a ceremonial fashion but rather through a "Thank You" from a student he barely remembers.
In a reply to a comment earlier this year, I mentioned Dr. Wooton to an English teacher who complimented me on my writing. Dr. Wooton had apparently came across my reply, wrote to me and thanked me for acknowledging his role in my writing.
This post is to thank him for his letter and to explain why I still remember him with such esteem and respect.

@KJ The ironic thing about my English teacher is t...

2009-11-19T10:30:03.454+02:00

@KJ
The ironic thing about my English teacher is that we never had a close or personal relationship. I had 2 or 3 professors in my department who remained my friends over the years. Dr. Wooton probably doesn't remember me. I was not an English major but he made me fall in love with the subject matter.
Today my retreat from work, the absurdities of being and intellectual pollution is a good book. If I hadn't taken that course with him I would've probably never acquired this privilege. I mean I learned French much earlier than English and Arabic even before that. No one before him taught me to read.

@Chris I had good and mediocre ones here and there...

2009-11-19T10:20:56.880+02:00

@Chris
I had good and mediocre ones here and there. Only a few deserve the title of Teacher. It's not to be taken lightly.

@BIL When I was a little kid my father taught me t...

2009-11-19T10:19:31.853+02:00

@BIL
When I was a little kid my father taught me that with every language we learn be become one more person. This is exactly how he phrased it. You know Arabic and French you equal 2 people. You know English as well, you equal 3.
It's so true as my core character is indeed the result of the languages I have learned over the years. Even the little Spanish I know makes me sway to a tune and enjoy music differently.
My professor's main success in my case was his ability to transform me from a student under obligation to take a course to one who still enjoys English literature after all these years.

@Neetu I'm so glad you decided to drop by my blog....

2009-11-19T10:12:51.314+02:00

@Neetu
I'm so glad you decided to drop by my blog.
Teachers are supposed to leave an impact. When the impact is positive and memorable it means that they have succeeded in delivering their message.
And, there is no messenger like a teacher.

This letter to Dr. Wooton is beautiful on several ...

2009-11-19T00:43:57.980+02:00

This letter to Dr. Wooton is beautiful on several levels. On one that Dr. Wooton was such an excellent and inspirational teacher and that he instilled such confidence, eagerness, and determination in at least one of his students...but I'm sure there were many others. On another that we have now learned about the growth and blossoming of one of the most beautiful writers I've ever had the pleasure of reading, and (oh lucky me) to be writing with. And on yet another level, once again, my dear, you have shown how big your heart is. Many people fondly remember teachers who positively influenced their lives, but few bother to write to them to express their thanks. How very thoughtful and very touching. Thank you so much, Abufares, for sharing this with us.

I'm pretty sure, my dear friend, that Mr Wooton is...

2009-11-18T22:58:57.686+02:00

I'm pretty sure, my dear friend, that Mr Wooton is honored too. If he is the one who inspired you to read and, consequently, to (superbly) write, he must be an exquisite teacher. The kind of teacher one never forgets.
I guess we all owe him for at least one of his students.
Saludos desde Lima.

You know abufares, I had one teacher who, like you...

2009-11-18T19:18:18.312+02:00

You know abufares, I had one teacher who, like your teacher, changed my views on life forever and instilled a deep sense of self confidence in me which I miserably miss today.

I feel shameful to have disgraced her memory with my plain nonsense, empty words and writing devoid of meaning or value.

She wished, rather knew, I would grow up old on a rocking chair writing Hallmark cards (back when they were good) among other wonders of fiction.

May her soul rest in peace, and may her vision - which I also dream of - come true.