Former student's letter to Nobel Prize winner reveals real-life impact of good teachers
'You may be getting a medal and a handshake from the king and a nice check...but...'
Even the greatest people don’t count only awards and materials as achievements. The impact left behind while doing the award-winning work is what matters most. Joel Mokyr, professor of Economics and Nobel Prize Winner 2025, has achieved much during his lifetime and career, per CBS Chicago. However, the professor, who spent 52 years teaching at Northwestern University, was proud to share a prized possession — an email from a former student. It highlighted the difference he’d made in the student’s life and that is far more priceless than anything else.
Professor Mokyr was awarded the prestigious prize for his research into technological progress and economic growth. However, he can’t help but recall every now and then his over five decades of being an educator to different generations, transforming lives year after year. Recently, the awardee received an email from a former student. The man had graduated from university 15 years ago and is now a professor of Economics at the University of British Columbia. Nevertheless, he remembered his teacher and sent him a touching email. “I believe your time is about to get limited, so I wanted to tell you two things,” the student said.
The student began with the first bit and said, “I, a 50-year-old man, am crying like a child.” He was beyond happy for his professor, but there was more. “My email inbox is flooded with people congratulating me,” he added. He mentioned how reporters wanted to interview him and how it must be the case for “your myriad of students.” After indirectly expressing that he was proud of his professor’s achievement, he then made an unbelievable remark. “You may be getting a medal and a handshake from the king and a nice check. You may sell a lot more books in these times of intellectual darkness,” he said.
However, he went on to mention that Professor Mokyr’s Nobel-prize-winning academic profession will be his “second-most important legacy.” “The first is us — dozens and dozens of students whose minds you’ve shaped,” the man wrote. According to Studies Weekly, the impact of a teacher on a student is vast and profound. Stacy Tornio’s article titled “12 Powerful Statistics that Prove Why Teachers Matter” was also shared with some eye-opening statistics. One stat read that a teacher affects over 3,000 students during their career.
A majority of people (98% and 88%) believe that a teacher can impact a student’s life and have been impacted by an educator, respectively. 79% of students credited their teachers who encouraged them to follow their dreams. The statistics go on, and they only point to the fact that it’s not so much the lessons as it is the teaching and the teacher that made a difference in the lives of many. Professor Mokyr’s case was no different. He noted that the email went on, but the punchline was what he revealed. “You asked me what it's like at Northwestern, it’s people like that,” the awardee said.
With a simple message and just a few lines, the student reassured the teacher that the greatest thing he ever did was impart treasures to generations. And the professor couldn’t agree more. The internet was also impressed by the relationship and wholesomeness that lie behind the books and the classroom. @nobelprize commented, “Thanks for highlighting this. We couldn’t agree more. Being a teacher is one of the most important jobs there is.” @maryhahn6 added, “I am no professor, but I took your classes at NU in ‘75 and ‘76. Congratulations!! I will never forget how you explained supply and demand. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.” @colleenbradylee remarked, “How we give to others is our legacy. Love this share.”
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