Regular contributor Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe was moved to write by my eulogy for Harold Arendt:
What a lovely tribute to Mr. Arendt! He certainly sounds like he was a very special teacher.
We can never anticipate how our students remember our lessons.
In about 1987, I was teaching a high school course titled, "Occupations I. We were discussing a unit on real estate, real estate brokers, the importance of location, location, location. and the reasons why real estate values increase or decrease. I introduced the acronym, NIMBY--Not In My Backyard.
I gave an example of a group home, which was about to open right in the middle of a local housing development. There was much opposition by the residents of this community, especially the homeowners living in close proximity to the group home.
They were frightened that a group of mentally retarded young adults would be living on their street. They worried about the increased traffic, as these youngsters would be transported to a sheltered workshop. What they were really worried about was that the value of their homes would go down! Who wants to spend $600,000 on a split-level house located right next to a group home?
The students were so attentive as we discussed the problem. They learned the meaning of a cul-de-sac; they learned how one obtains a "listing." They learned how to figure a real estate broker's commission. More important, they felt empathy for the parents of those youngsters who wanted their handicapped children to live nearby so that they could visit them on weekends. They also understood that the purchase of a home was the largest investment a family makes, and that they want to protect that investment.
Many years went by; I was retired. While sitting in a bagel shop, I ran into a student of mine. She looked up at me, smiled, and said one word: NIMBY!
Of all the lessons that I taught during that half year of "Occupations I," this one really captured her attention.
Isn't teaching wonderful!
[Yes, it is]