Rev E Gribben, Parish Priest,

Our Lady of Furness RC Church, Barrow

Earlier this year, my old French teacher Mr Garnett died. He had been retired a long time and was in his eighties when he passed away. I remember him with great affection, not because of my love of French; his endeavours in that regard were doomed to have very limited success because of my inability to learn either vocabulary or grammar.

The depth of respect and gratitude I had for him was quite simply because he changed my life.

Two things have very especially given me joy over the last 40 or more years. A love of music and a love of the Lakeland fells. I was introduced to both of these loves by Mr Garnett. Every month he organised a hike in the Lake District. I remember the first, an ascent of the Old Man of Coniston in pouring rain and mist. I was wet through to the skin and returned thinking that was one of the best days of my life. Once a term he organised a trip to hear the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. I had never heard a live performance by an orchestra before and the experience thrilled and delighted me. Hence my love of the Lakes and music was born and it has brought me joy and happiness ever since.

What has all this to do with the Christian Comment? Well, as our schools return and our teachers begin another year, it is good to remember that theirs is a noble and wonderful vocation that changes lives forever. Some of these teachers may be inspired by a deep Christian faith as was Alan Garnett. He was organist at the Methodist Church for many years. Some teachers may have no faith. What matters is that they open our children to the wonders and beauty of God’s world through their teaching profession. Mr Garnett was a typical old school teacher who spent almost all of his teaching life at the Barrow Grammar School where he too had been a pupil. To many, his life will have seemed very ordinary, but for me it was extraordinary.

Christ’s last words in the scriptures were “Go and teach all the nations.” Countless men and women have achieved that through their dedication, example and wisdom. Let us this week say a prayer of gratitude for all of our teachers.