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Big Man on Campus Essay Without the philanthropic mind and the kindness of Leigh Anne and her husband, Sean, Michael Oher would have remained a timid dejected soul in an American ghetto. But it was not to be, as this huge child with a gentle soul, would be patiently coached to open up and in the ultimate process, astound not his community, but even rose to national fame. After a mere first practice in football, coaches came in platoons to offer him scholarships, with one of them labeling him the best in the nation† to which USA Today agreed. It took Leigh Anne’s legendary patience to cajole him to open up, and anyone would have easily given up—in the face of the tenacity with which the insecure big young boy evaded probing basic questions. The big boy feared even just showing anyone he was in pain, although he could cry like a child. I shall not delve on the story which everyone read. (Lewis: 3 online version) Surname 2 My piece will instead focus on Leigh Anne’s efforts to re-build the insecure, young, and athletically- endowed character, and in her effort to recover the boy’s trust in himself and society. Leigh Anne was a revelation to me on what educators ought to be to their students. An educator ideally should not give up too soon on exceptional cases of strange behavior or academic neglect. There could be deeper reasons why individuals act strange or in a manner that no one can immediately understand. Indeed Leigh Anne’s patience in monitoring Michel’s background, motivations, and psychological frame up was a model for the ideal or ultimate teacher. Leigh Anne also showed deep particular interest on behavioral motivations. An ordinary reaction to aberrant behavior could be acceptance of it as a given. Instead, Leigh Anne was motivated by a desire to learn the roots of the behavior and help â€Å"Big Michael† overcome it. Leigh Anne was not a cold psychology specialist treating a patient. She was a human being caring for another human being. Hers is an example even for psychologists. A discipline must humanize: it ought not to lose its human dimension. Educators cannot always end up like Leigh Anne who went all the way to adopt Michael, who found a family in her home. But the desire to build lives is the essence of what an educator should aspire for every student entrusted to him. Surname 3 Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy jointly probed and observed Michael’s every revelation of his past, or any bit of information that could lead them to understand the bigboy. They were rewarded not just with the revelation of his childlike character, but with having a new family member they loved like a son. As Leigh Anne put it, I loved him as if I birthed him. † (Lewis:4 online version). Work Cited Lewis, Michael. Big Man on Campus From the Readers Digest . Retrieved Dec. 15,2008 from: http://www. rd. com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/big-man-on-campus/article30250-3. html