DEAR ABBY: I was touched by the letter you printed from Ula Pendleton, the retired teacher from Westminster High School in Los Angeles, who received praise from a student years after she had taught him. How wonderful for her to know the fruit of her labor.
Teachers are truly the unsung heroes of our lives. No, I'm not a teacher, but I know many teachers, and I always tell them, "I could never do what you do." Most of them labor at an incredibly tough job for years and may never know the results of their work.
As an ER nurse, I, too, have a tough job. However, I can see the results of my efforts -- mostly positive -- on a daily basis. Not so for most teachers, who face many obstacles and may not know if they have made a difference. They deserve our highest praise. -- B.O.G., BASS LAKE, CALIF.
DEAR B.O.G.: I agree. I have received many letters from readers praising their former teachers -- usually because the teachers were fair-minded, caring, and helped their students master a subject.
Teaching is an art, and I, too, admire those gifted individuals in the field of education who have made a positive difference in the lives of their students.