Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard
Received this from a former student who struggled in school and who I haven't heard from in a decade - she is now making underwater nature documentaries. 
Mr. H,* you and Mr. C have a special place in my heart. Certainly the best role models and I Thank you for being patient, putting up with me and teaching me how to be a success!
And this is why we teach - or should be, anyway...and it made my day. ZD understands. 
Richard
* Me
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So, true! Thanks for the reminder, Richard.
I had a somewhat similar experience this week. I'm heading to Ft. Carson next week to visit my grandson, and his parents (Reason #2 for "Happy Thoughts"). As a result of that, and losing a week of income during Spring Break, I have been subsitute teaching five days a week (more work than when I worked). I was at one of our high schools that used to be a bit of a "pit" - but got a new principal at the beginning of this year.
He is a young Latino man (mid-thirties) with a lot of energy. In October, I had a one week assignment in a freshman English class (yikes!). It went very well, especially since it was fairly early in the school year. On my second day there, he appeared in the classroom to welcome me to campus. (That has happened NO where else in my subbing in my old district.) He had instituted a LOT of changes, but one thing I noticed right off, was that when the "tardy bell" rang to start each period, it was deathly quiet in the hallways - no kids scurrying to class. There are many other changes, too, all improvements (including "lesser" teachers being GONE!)
Wednesday, I reported early to cover a "Performing Arts" class - piano (usually easy money, almost like stealing). The teacher had a conference that was cancelled, but forgot to cancel her substitute (me). I reported to the principal's admin assistant, and she said I could go home (and still get paid!). I hung around in case I was needed - and I was.
While talking to the principal, I discovered that he had graduated from the high school I first taught in - over ten yers after I left. My first year teaching was almost my last year, due to inept administration and a large number of poor, uninteresting, mean teachers. (My first day - first day! - during the final period of that warm day, I had to take a switchblade knife from a kid who was using it to clean his fingernails. (I had a flashback to
The Asphalt Jungle. I was very sure they had not covered that in my college Methods of Teaching Social Studies class... nor for that matter, from my Phase III MOI class.)
New admin came the next year. Before that year was over, the school had radically changed. Bad teachers were encouraged to improve, or leave. If they didn't leave or improve, the wheels were set in motion to dismiss them. The principal eventually became the superintendent - and changed the whole district - and his AP became principal, and a good friend, and continued to improve the HS to one of the best in the state. I learned that ONE person really could make a difference in education.
The upshot of this long dissertation (sorry, if I had more time, I'd make it shorter - but I'm going diving today... Reason #3 for "Happy Thoughts")? The new principal at the HS I as subbing in took his inspiration from the two men who gave me mine... almost 20 years later. I called both of them yesterday to let them know that they were inspiring others, goodness knows how many, to be that "one person"!