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It’s a Small World after all

bbehrens
Explorer C

Well, that’s the truest statement ever … at least for me apparently!  About a year ago, I was casually perusing through a silent auction here at Southwest.  To my surprise, I saw someone I knew, but for the life of me I could not place where I knew her from.  Then it dawned on me, “Oh my goodness, that’s my ninth grade Debate Coach, Lisa Tiller!”  Well, sure enough I walked up and asked, “Do I know you?”  She replied, “Oh my goodness.” 

Fifteen years had passed since I was in the ninth grade, so we re-introduced ourselves and recalled memories from North Little Rock High School Debate Class.  Ms. Tiller, or “Tiller” as we called her, because any self-respecting high school student knows that you only refer to the cool teachers by their last name, was indeed our cool teacher.  But, more than that, she was an influence in my life that I don’t think she even realizes.  See, before ninth grade I was a quiet kid, and if you know me now, you might be quite surprised by that statement.  It was that year that I began to develop myself and my communication skills through Debate class.  We learned to research, analyze, and communicate our thoughts on many political and social hot topics.  All of these are skills I use in my current career as an Instructional Designer.  But, there was something else that I learned in my four years of Debate—I built a foundation that provided me with the drive to achieve my dreams and also the passion of being a lifelong learner. 

Lisa Tiller, thank you for being a significant and valuable influence in my life.  As you are still teaching and leading others as a Facilitator for Southwest, I can only imagine that your Teammembers are as lucky as I was to be trained by you. 

 

4 Comments
ltiller
Explorer C
Beverly - Thank you so much for taking the time to share these kind words. Teachers are always glad to hear that they have made a difference in someone's life. You were an excellent student, and the things that I remember about you as a high school student are the same things that stand out about you now - your warm smile and the kindness you show to everyone. Thanks again, and keep doing what you do every day to remind us that every one matters. LT
leesaokc
Explorer C
"A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.”~Herb Kelleher Hi "Tiller" I am not surprised that you had made such an influence on Beverly, for you are an amazing facilitator! We miss you here at ORC
Kelli2
Explorer C
Beverly - I will never forget our trip to Seattle and the opportunity to meet you and many other wonderful people. The day you told me you had recently ran into someone from your past who was your ninth grade drama teacher in Arkansas, you had no idea at that time I knew exactly who you were talking about. Lisa happened to be one of my peers in OKC and I couldn't wait to get back home to tell her about meeting you . I thoroughly enjoyed reading this Blog and it's absolutely true she is amazing! Lisa is now my Leader and I can't tell you how exciting it is to be under her guideance and Leadership. Happy Trails for now and I hope to see you soon!
Cheryl_Oliver1
Explorer C
I fly Southwest routinely as a part of my job. The article about Lisa Tiller in the SOUTHWEST STAR OF THE MONTH September edition was inspiring to me. We have a lot of focus on leadership and providing great customer service at my company. One of the core values in leadership is trust. I love Lisa's motto; "They don't care what you know, until they know that you care." She relates this to teaching, but I can find a million ways to relate it to my staff, peers, customers, and just about every other thing in life. I plan to borrow it as an inspiration to always include caring in my daily interactions. Thanks so much, Lisa, for all you do and for lifting my spirits today!