recollections of mr. till
This is how I remember Tom Till
It was back in 1978 then, and I was a struggling high school student. In those days, wood shop, PE, and auto mechanics were my favorite subjects—these classes meant fun and that was different. Oh and there was one other class I liked that year, English.
Admittedly, I felt pretty much the same as the next guy toward dangling participles and sentence diagrams. But it was my 10th grade English teacher, Tom Till, that made all the difference. He was young, hip, engaging, and fun-loving for the most part. While I thought a lot of him at the time, because he was kind and amusing—which was refreshing for that stodgy old high school—I never took the time to get to know him well. If I had, I may have learned that he was an aspiring artist teaching school on the side so he could pursue his real dream of photography. Nonetheless, he was a great teacher because he was young and gregarious, and as such he connected with me. And that was the beginning of a journey that has now taken him all across the world.
Mr. Till also taught literature, so it was that we were taking turns reading one day and the fellow behind me struggled with a portion of our assignment. Something struck me funny as he articulated the dialog “My name is Sam,” while his name was really something else. We were immature children and laughter erupted spontaneously, and this boy squirmed in his seat. Without demeaning any of us, Mr. Till calmed the class down and encouraged him to continue. None of us thought about this incident another minute, but I was likely responsible for the stinging in his eyes that day. Mr. Till tactfully saved our self-respect.
High school moves on and waits for no one, such as it was in Mr. Till's English class. He taught us syntax, grammar, and literary appreciation, and I made an effort to befriend this student. We passed in the hallway frequently and talked occasionally. We were chums, I guess you could say, and I appreciate his companionship and loyalty still today.
“I feel very lucky and blessed to spend my life in the World's most beautiful places. Although I get a great deal of personal satisfaction and fun from my work, photography is really about sharing what you are experiencing with others." ― Tom Till
My tenth grade English teacher taught me more than grammar. He instructed me on the art of giving people hope in word and deed. He encouraged and recognized me. He helped me see that if I could imagine it, then I could do it. And that has given me a vision into things I never dreamed.
Tom Till is now one of America's most published landscape and nature photographers. Over 250,000 of Till's images have appeared in print since 1977. Till's extensive library of fine art photography depicts landscape, nature, history, and travel subjects worldwide, including all fifty states and 104 countries.
Yes. He remembers me. When I visited his gallery in Moab, Utah, I asked his receptionist this very question. When she asked him over the phone, he commented “You were the obnoxious kid that sat near the front of the class, right?” Yeah, that was probably me.
Through his good example he saved another student that day, and I’m still learning from him.
“You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” ― Ansel Adams
Admittedly, I felt pretty much the same as the next guy toward dangling participles and sentence diagrams. But it was my 10th grade English teacher, Tom Till, that made all the difference. He was young, hip, engaging, and fun-loving for the most part. While I thought a lot of him at the time, because he was kind and amusing—which was refreshing for that stodgy old high school—I never took the time to get to know him well. If I had, I may have learned that he was an aspiring artist teaching school on the side so he could pursue his real dream of photography. Nonetheless, he was a great teacher because he was young and gregarious, and as such he connected with me. And that was the beginning of a journey that has now taken him all across the world.
Mr. Till also taught literature, so it was that we were taking turns reading one day and the fellow behind me struggled with a portion of our assignment. Something struck me funny as he articulated the dialog “My name is Sam,” while his name was really something else. We were immature children and laughter erupted spontaneously, and this boy squirmed in his seat. Without demeaning any of us, Mr. Till calmed the class down and encouraged him to continue. None of us thought about this incident another minute, but I was likely responsible for the stinging in his eyes that day. Mr. Till tactfully saved our self-respect.
High school moves on and waits for no one, such as it was in Mr. Till's English class. He taught us syntax, grammar, and literary appreciation, and I made an effort to befriend this student. We passed in the hallway frequently and talked occasionally. We were chums, I guess you could say, and I appreciate his companionship and loyalty still today.
“I feel very lucky and blessed to spend my life in the World's most beautiful places. Although I get a great deal of personal satisfaction and fun from my work, photography is really about sharing what you are experiencing with others." ― Tom Till
My tenth grade English teacher taught me more than grammar. He instructed me on the art of giving people hope in word and deed. He encouraged and recognized me. He helped me see that if I could imagine it, then I could do it. And that has given me a vision into things I never dreamed.
Tom Till is now one of America's most published landscape and nature photographers. Over 250,000 of Till's images have appeared in print since 1977. Till's extensive library of fine art photography depicts landscape, nature, history, and travel subjects worldwide, including all fifty states and 104 countries.
Yes. He remembers me. When I visited his gallery in Moab, Utah, I asked his receptionist this very question. When she asked him over the phone, he commented “You were the obnoxious kid that sat near the front of the class, right?” Yeah, that was probably me.
Through his good example he saved another student that day, and I’m still learning from him.
“You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” ― Ansel Adams
