The substitute teacher didn’t even know his name.
But his question was enough to change the course of Michael Rousell’s life.
“I only had him in class one day,” he said.
But it was enough. Rousell remembers himself as a student at the back of the pack who struggled with dyslexia. He ranted to this teacher about how hard it was to learn and how hard it was to get teachers to pay attention to him.
“Why don’t you become a teacher?,” he asked.
Rousell, now an associate professor of psychology at Southern Oregon University, points to that moment as the one that changed his beliefs about education. For the first time, he thought he could overcome his disabilities and become an educator.
“We are who we are and act the way we act because of what we believe,” Rousell said.
“However, we don’t get to choose our beliefs.”
Beliefs “happen” to us, he said, typically outside our control and often outside our awareness. Moments of surprise serve as the most common catalyst in shaping those beliefs, he said.
Rousell has spent decades making a difference educating others, including 30 years as a teacher and volleyball coach. In his position as associate professor, he uses the element of surprise in training educators. Seeking to replicate that “A‑Ha!” moment in each of his students has been the most satisfying.
“I had so much difficulty because of my learning disabilities,” he said. “When I became a teacher, my goal was to reach out to those students who struggled the most because nobody did that for me.”
“I became a teacher so that students like me wouldn’t have to suffer like I did.”
Name: Dr. Michael A. Rousell
Age: 65
Profession: Licensed psychologist and associate professor at Southern Oregon University
Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Family: Wife of 47 years, two daughters, four granddaughters
Hobbies/Interests: Hockey; humor as applied therapeutic treatment
Favorite music: Country/western, classical music and rock. “I have an eclectic taste in music.”
Favorite author: Ken Follett (World Without End). “If he’s writing it, I’m reading it.”
Own book: Sudden Influence: How Spontaneous Events Change our Lives
TEDxSalem VI
TEDxSalem VI is an all-day event featuring talks, performances, refreshments, lunch and a swag bag. It runs 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 at the Salem Convention Center. Tickets are on sale now for $55, $45 for students. Follow us on Facebook for the most up-to-date news from our community, and check our website regularly for new information. You can also reach us at info@tedxsalem.com.