Michael Rosenbaum Thanks Warrick Co. Teachers For Encouragement

Even though he's a celebrity, Michael Rosenbaum hasn't forgotten where he came from, and the teachers that encouraged him. He took the time to post a very heartfelt message, thanking his high school teachers. He says they helped build his confidence and made him who he is today.

Hey folks,

I would like to take a moment to thank a few very influential people in my life. As a kid I was pretty hyper, colorblind and awkward as hell. I was also the smallest kid in High School. But thank God for these kind, patient teachers that helped give me the confidence to become the man I am today.

Mrs. Meyer was one of those teachers. She taught 4th grade at Sharon Elementary School and was one of the only teachers who ever had patience with me. I'm sure I wasn't easy, but I will never forget her teaching me how to add decimal points. She had so much fun with it that you couldn't help but have fun too. "LINE UP THOSE BABIES", she would say about those damn decimal points. And how she used to sing the word "ENCYCLOPEDIA" to us. Like really sing each and every letter. Just use your imagination. Mrs. Meyer, you were so gentle and soft spoken and filled with love and enthusiasm. You really made learning fun. Thank you!

Mrs. Rowe was another gem. She made World History interesting for a 15 year old, hyper kid. She put up with a lot of crap from me and Kent Brenneman and Skunk. Like when we threw a barney rubble eraser through 5 giant world maps. Sure we had to go out into the hall, but she really kept her cool, helped us learn and I thank her for it. You will never be forgotten.

Next up... Mr. Morrow. Good lord I loved him and still do. What a profoundly gentle man with a heart of gold who you could just tell how much he loved us kids and how much he loved his job. I didn't think anyone could substitute for Mrs. Rowe. She was irreplaceable, but he managed to hold his own. Thank you kind sir. He was even in the movie I directed Back in the Day playing the football referee. Priceless.

I loved Mrs. Muller. She actually made Shakespeare interesting for us. I never got good grades. EVER! Ask anyone. And yet, she was able to make me understand the Capulets and the Montagues... and I learned to love Romeo and Juliet. Thanks Mrs. Muller. You also taught me some big words in Word Power that Tom Lally and I still used to this very day. Like "EXUBERANT". Isn't such a big word now, but you made it easy to learn. And your son John is such a wonderful guy. He was really popular in school and I wasn't. But he always was so nice to me. I know who he got that from.

Dear Mrs. Skinner. How did you do it? How did you pass me in Spanish? I should still be at Castle High School learning it. You always called on me when speaking in beautiful fluent Spanish and my response was mostly.... "HOLA". That's it. And everyone would laugh, but you know what? You didn't get mad... you smiled and always made me feel like you enjoyed my joking around. You made Spanish fun.
You're a damn sweetheart and I miss you.

Last, but not least... Mrs. Godeke. It was Paternoster when I was in High School. I have to tell you that if you didn't make me audition for GREASE, I would have never become an actor. To take Advanced Drama, you told me I had to audition for a play and as terrified as I was... I did it. And I got the part and somehow got through it and the rest is history. I always thought you were so cool and laid back. And you certainly gave me a little more of that confidence that I so needed.

So, to all of you exceptional people... I hope you're doing amazingly and I hope you know how appreciated you were and are. Teachers don't always hear things like this, but they need to. You made a real impact in my life. I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart and I'd love to see you again very soon. Sorry for any typos. I didn't say I was a freaking scholar.

P.S. This was just through high school. I haven’t even talked about college professors. Many more amazing people that I’ll get into at another time. Let’s call this the pre-acting post. ).