How's A tribute from a former student.

:I received this on June 11, 2009 and I have to share it because it shows the joys of teaching and I want to feel the same success in being your real estate agent.eal estate world in We
I can't say that I remember much about science, and my math skills are as abysmal as they were back then - but you gave me a lesson, totally unrelated to Math or Science, that has stuck with me for my entire life.

You may not even remember it, but you had been to the dentist, and had apparently had a pretty miserable and painful deep cleaning.

You explained the procedure in detail, and spent a great deal of the class explaining that taking shortcuts in your life will ultimately lead to paying a price later on. You said that there were no shortcuts, and it is best to just do the hard work the first time, or else - we too, would somebody have to go through a painful procedure of some kind - whether it be a dental procedure or anything else.

From that day forward, I became obsessed with taking care of my teeth - and it has stuck with me to this day.

But more importantly, you were the first teacher who evever said, "Hey - None of us are perfect, and that includes teachers. You can learn from my mistake, and never have to go through this yourself."

You used yourself as an example - and stated that you weren't perfect, and did not know everything. I'd never heard that from an authority figure - and it comes back to me every time I am on a television set, directing and producing.

Most directors and producers tend to have an ego, or fear, that if they admit to not knowing something, it weakens them. Therefore, they pretend they know everything and oftentimes get themselves into a lot of trouble.

For me - I often say, when faced with a problem - "I'm a pretty experienced producer, but I don't know everything, but let's figure it out." And then go to others on my crew who can help formulate a solution.

It's been my standard operating procedure since I was first put into a leadership position - and it works very well. And I can trace that style directly back to my 8th grade science class, when Mr. Sloan explained that nobody knows everything, and it's okay to not have all the answers.

I don't know how I got from bad customer service to an early life-lesson - but almost 30 years after the fact, I wanted you to know that I still remember if very vividly.

Thanks,

Eric Streit

TV Producer in LA
Eric