Albert Camus's Letter to His Teacher After He Won the Nobel Prize...

I got this from brainpickings.org. Thank you Maria Papova for posting this! She writes:


When Camus was less than a year old, his father was killed on the battlefield of WWI. He and his older brother were raised by their illiterate, nearly deaf mother and a despotic grandmother, with hardly any prospects for a bright future. In a testament to what happens when education lives up to its highest potential to ennoble the human spirit, a teacher named Louis Germaine saw in young Albert something special and undertook the task of conjuring cohesion and purpose out of the boy — the task of any great mentor. Under his teacher’s wing, Camus came to transcend the dismal cards he had been dealt and began blossoming into his future genius.

When Albert Camus received one of humanity's most prestigious prizes on November 19, 1957, he wrote his childhood teacher, Louis Germaine. Again, thank you brainpickings for providing this image:

Wow... What an amazing gesture! I think of the mentors and teachers I would should thank for waking me up to my potential. It also reminds me that innovative teaching can only be effective if it begins with "a generous heart" and with building trust, curiosity, and confidence by way of first and foremost cultivating meaningful human relationships. Albert Camus realized his greatness because somebody cared... Thanks again brainpickings!

-Jared Colley