Just One

What has been the greatest influence in your life? Who or what has shaped your life in such a way that makes you the person you are today? A tricky question for some; how does one decide on the single greatest influence in your life? Is it a person who meant a great deal to you, or is it technology that has saved your life or keeps you in contact with a loved one, a book perhaps that changed your way of thinking, or a special event that irrevocably altered your perception, or is it a personal experience like the birth of your first child that has changed your life forever?


Each year, Time magazine lists the 100 most influential people in the world. The latest issue for 2012, lists people of diverse backgrounds, unbelievable talents, inspirational leaders, politicians, health care workers, innovators, entertainers, moguls and even celebrity chefs. While many of these people cast a huge net over their sphere of influence, like Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, most of us would not actually recognise them or understand the nature of their influence in the world at all.

Another top 100 influential person is Henrik Scharfe, a little known Danish university professor, who has created a doppelgänger. “What’s that?” I hear you ask. A doppelgänger is in the literal sense, a “paranormal double of a human”. Scharfe has created a “double” of himself – a human like robot – Geminold-DK to be precise, also affectionately called Watson, which looks a lot like Scharfe and has a voice, a face and well groomed and dressed body almost identical in every respect to Scharfe. See more of this amazing person at: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2111975_2111976_2111965,00.html

While I take nothing away from these very influential people, probably like many of you, my choice of person or persons, who have had the greatest influence on my life is a little more prosaic. So who was the greatest influence in my young life? For me it was my father who insisted that I study to Year 12 (instead of leaving at Year 10) and go onto the University of Queensland. The other person who changed my whole direction in life was a Year 11 Economics teacher, Mr Bensley, who helped me believe in myself. Because of relentless bullying throughout my secondary schooling, I doubted my own ability and was afraid to give talks in front of the class and the very thought of giving a speech, even for assessment, turned me into a quivering mess. Many people say that the thought of public speaking is worse than the fear of death and researchers have found that many people universally rank it as one of their worst fears!

Thankfully my teacher had greater confidence in me than I did and to my amazement, after much coaxing and coaching by him, I was able to give a speech – not a particularly good one I might add, but enough to give me some confidence to reconsider my options for the future. Maybe because of my personal experiences and wanting to help other people, I launched into a career where I thought I could make the greatest contribution and the greatest difference to other people’s lives – teaching.

To this day I care passionately about all of the children in our care at School and do all in my power to create a safe, enjoyable and engaging learning environment. I remember very clearly how horrible it was to be the subject of taunts, how terrible it was to face bullying behaviour every day and at the time to doubt my own ability. When my confidence and self esteem was at an all time low, one teacher made me see what I could achieve and what ultimately I could do with my life. He asked me to consider becoming a teacher and because he believed in me, I made one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. So believe me when I say that I want what is best for every student at our School and I want students to believe that they can achieve anything in this world with practice and perseverance.

Another important and influential person in my life, recently shared this thought provoking poem with me and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:

Just One


One song can spark a moment
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.


One smile begins a friendship,

One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.


One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness
One laugh will conquers gloom.


One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.


One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,
One life can make a difference,
You see it’s up to you!


(Maryam Kazmi)

We can all make a difference in this world if we want. We may each be the one person to influence the life of someone for the better and give them the confidence to become all that they can be in this world. What greater gift can you give another person? Thank you Dad and thank you Mr Bensley.

Karon Graham