It’s odd when someone from your past reappears in your life. Odder still is when the circumstances of your acquaintance revolved around someone else that you both admired many years ago. That happened to me recently.

I had nearly forgotten about Steven. He was a year behind me in high school, and we were in different classes. However, we were both in Mr. Kone’s science class. Steven was a freshman and I was a sophomore serving as Mr. Kone’s student assistant.

Mr. Kone challenged his students to learn and solve problems. He taught both math and science, two subjects in which few high school freshmen have much interest. Learning math and science does not always come easily, but Mr. Kone was able to teach these difficult subjects in a way that was fun and practical.

Both Steven and I appreciated the motivation Mr. Kone instilled in us to learn these difficult subjects. His math classes emphasized practical, everyday problem solving exercises. His science laboratory was filled with interesting experiments that allowed us to have hands-on experience.

His tests weren’t easy, as math and science aren’t easily mastered. Nevertheless, he gave his students the problem solving skills they needed to do well on tests.

I’ve heard it said that sometimes the hardest teachers, or the teachers who successfully teach the hardest subjects, are the ones we remember and only begin to appreciate years later. Mr. Kone was one of those teachers.

Other teachers and subjects were difficult, too. However, they didn’t always challenge us to do our best as Mr. Kone did. He wanted his students to work hard so they’d learn more and remember it longer. He wanted his students to learn in his class, but he would let them have some fun, too.

I served as Mr. Kone’s student assistant for two years. I met a lot of freshman that hated the hard work Mr. Kone made them do. Not Steven, he admired the ethnic Mr. Kone helped to instill in him.

From time to time, I wonder if Mr. Kone is still teaching math and science to high school freshman. I wonder if his homework assignments are still as difficult today as they were back when.

Steven and I have had long working careers. We both feel as if Mr. Kone had a hand in how we settled difficult situations.

It’s not only what we learn that’s important for our future. How we learn to solve pressing problems helps to shape our future just as much. Mr. Kone would be proud.

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