Everyone had one special teacher in high school who stood out from the others; a memorable teacher who made a strong impact on their lives. For many graduates of Riverside High School in Greer SC, that teacher was Mike Farmer.
Mike taught Chemistry and Physics at the school from its original founding in 1973. Mike was the first head of the Science Department at Riverside and was active in all areas of the school.
The mission of Riverside High School is:
To instruct, prepare, and inspire students for success in future endeavors.
To prepare students to become confident, competent, ethical individuals and responsible citizens by creating a positive and nurturing school environment where staff, students, parents, and the community work together to promote lifelong learning and to provide opportunities for students to reach their maximum potential.
No one was more dedicated to the mission of Riverside, to it's students, and to their futures. In everything he did, Mike inspired us "to become confident, competent, ethical individuals and responsible citizens".
Every lesson, every conversation, every action was geared to provide opportunities and encouragement for us to reach our maximum potential.
I graduated from Riverside in 1977. Mike was tough on his students from an academic standpoint, but he was also very supportive. He was willing to listen to us, to engage with us, to sympathize with us when we struggled with the challenge of Chemistry and Physics. He went the extra mile to further our education.
He pushed us and he also wanted us to push ourselves. He wanted us to achieve our full potential. He wanted to expand our horizons and to teach us to think in new ways.
In addition to teaching us science he engaged us in conversations about life. He motivated us to think about what we believed, why we believed; to explore our views with a critical mind. At the time I wasn't ready to explore my beliefs. I wanted to just accept what I was told without critical examination. I resented his efforts to broaden my horizons. I was angry with Mike on many occasions but I always respected him.
Mike Farmer pushed us to follow our dreams and reach for the stars and he taught us by his own example. When NASA opened up applications for teachers who desired to travel in space on the Challenger space shuttle, Mike applied and was a finalist.
As the years passed following high school, my appreciation for what Mike did for me deepened with each passing year. I was a much better person because he challenged me in so many ways.
One of Mike's colleagues, Ric Standridge wrote:
.......one of Mike’s greatest contributions was the way he taught. He would say, “If I can discover what intrinsically motivates a student, and apply that to the way they learn, the rest will fall into place.” one would think that Mike’s method of teaching would be complex… but it was quite simple, he believed in really listening and observing the students. Stating, I’m going to teach the way you learn, rather than, you learning the way I teach. It worked brilliantly…
Brad Henry, former governor of Oklahoma penned these words
"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. "By this definition (or any other definition) Mike Farmer was a good teacher. He was a great teacher. He inspired hope, ignited our imaginations, and instilled a love of learning in each and every one of us.
His legacy will live on in the lives of thousands of students, friends and colleagues who were impacted by Mike's passion for learning, his love of students, his friendship, and his example of a life well lived.
Henry Adams said:
Truly, teachers are like the light from stars in the Universe. The energy they exude continues unabated by the boundaries of time and space.A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
Light the light from stars in the sky, Mike Farmer's influence and impact on his family, his friends, his colleagues and especially his students will continue to impact us all.
Contributed by Don Talley,
Riverside High School, Class of 1977
Dr. Farmer was an equally amazing person and teacher. I have memories of watching documentaries on Planet Earth and Einstein in his classroom. I loved hearing his funny anecdotes and stories about his life. Dr. Farmer was full of energy and passion and genuinely cared about his students and his job as a teacher. I did not know a single student that disliked him. I am thankful for the two short years that I was able to know him while I was at the Governor's School. He has touched many lives and his presence will be sorely missed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your memories Shirley.
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