So we are back for another installment of Unsung Heroes.
Now more than ever, it is important to focus our attentions on stories that will encourage us, enlighten us and also sensitize us to, about and for people.
Most people go about their daily lives doing what they do and many if not most times, no one takes notice but if they didn’t do what they did………
Our communities I dare say would not be better off if these unsung heroes were not there.
The fatigue of this period of time has worn on so many so some real stories of everyday people can be just the right medicine to help us raise our eye levels a little bit past this 6 month grind of Covid, political uncertainty etc.
So normally, I choose someone for my unsung hero segment but this Forward Friday Unsung Heroes installment #12 is a salute to the many educators who tirelessly work to help teach, educate and care for our children, teenagers.
And especially in this crazy pandemic time, the mettle, resolve and skill has been pushed to the limits at times but educators keep ticking.
I’ve had the privilege, besides being a minister for over 13 plus years is to have been and still am in the education field for over 23 years!!!
The opportunity to invest in the lives of young people is more than an honor; it is a blessing to invest in the future.
As I thought of how to salute our educators that day in and day out work hard, deal with the endless protocol changes that the pandemic has caused, the different approaches to teaching etc., I thought I would walk down memory lane and honor some of the teachers that made an indelible imprint on my life.
For many of you, the names will not ring a bell save if you went to Lachine High School in the 70’s and 80’s but maybe what this will do is help you appreciate the past teachers, support staff, specialists who helped you throughout your education path and to appreciate and be thankful for the education staffs who are presently endeavoring to do their best to teach and educate during these trying times.
Oh yes, there are duds and yes, there are duds in every neck of the woods of life but there are far more good ones than the duds.
So here’s some thoughts for you about some of my favorite teachers and educators.
So Let’s Get Into This!!
So the first teacher that comes to mind was my grade 8 & 10 history teacher, Mr. Hopper.
I’ve always loved to read but Mr. Hopper helped bring it to another level with his enthusiasm and innovation.
We could never come in to class unprepared as we had teams we were on and there would be points accumulated, Reach For The Top type weeks end competition and we were always on the ready!!
But it was fun….
Pizza/wings for team wins but it was creating an atmosphere where a student could want to love history and even to this day, I love history.
It’s funny; in grade 10 where I loved history and Mr. Hopper’s care for us as students shone through, I had hands down the worst math teacher in my scholastic career.
Somehow, even though that teacher wrecked my year in math, Mr. Hopper and others steadied the ship that year to keep me engaged and not soured because of the trouble in that math class.
Thanks Mr. Hopper for making history fun and worth learning.
The next teacher that made an imprint in my life was my grade 10 English teacher, Ms. Dakin.
Ms. Dakin had to be one of the nicest teachers one could ever have.
Maybe we liked her a lot because almost every Friday, Ms. Dakin would bring in donuts, treats and more and if you were fortunate enough to be in her homeroom, one could say jackpot.
I think when I look back, it’s not so much the donuts, treats, food and while that was more than appreciated by the students, it was the feeling of being at home in her class.
We got work done, that’s for sure but we had so much fun learning and it wasn’t dull.
I remember during term 2 parent-teacher interviews, Ms. Dakin messed me up but good. I know you may be reading this and couldn’t see me talking incessantly but apparently, I did.
So my dad was already not happy that every other teacher kept saying, “Great Student, does his work but he talks a lot!”.
If there was a class that I talked, it was grade 10 English so I was getting ready for another shot. But......
With Ms. Dakin, she told my parents that I rarely talked in class unless I was asked a question. Needless to say, she threw me for a loop. My dad even asked why I couldn’t be like that in my other classes… Heck, that shut me up but good for 3rd term.
Ms. Dakin affirmed by her actions that if we can create opportunities for students to feel wanted and cared for, many students will perform better and could actually like school and what it entails to be a functioning, succeeding student.
I am grateful to Ms. Dakin for the warmth she displayed and we indeed felt her care for us! Thank you Ms. Dakin for caring for us… and the donuts.
My grade 11 English teacher was Mr. Plaice.
I think when I think of Mr. Plaice, I think of the teacher who would put a challenge in front of me and believe in me enough for me to believe that I could succeed in whatever he could throw at me.
Mr. Plaice put a number of us in a speed reading trial which was designed to get us to read a book, magazine etc. at a higher rate than we normally would with the end game being that we would learn how to retain enough of what we read with speed and efficiency.
I’m not sure he expected what happened next in my case. Because the speed reading twinned with my love of reading, book reports came back to Mr. Plaice a little faster than he expected.
At a certain point, Mr. Plaice said after school when I handed in another book report that it was time to learn how to write poetry.
It was interesting because I had never written poetry before but he said I could so I believed him and started.
It was pretty exciting to see at the of the year, 2 of my poems published in the school board poetry platform for students….
I thank Mr. Plaice for not only the speed reading challenge but believing that I could write poetry and I know that it has helped me as a minister, blogging and many other things. Thanks Mr. Plaice for believing that I could do more than just book reports…
I couldn’t talk about teachers without mentioning the Illustrious Mr. Edwards, our band teacher as an incredible Role Model.
I could remember in grade 7 listening to the school bands and choirs and think to myself that I wanted to be a part of the music program.
While my family was musical and my brother and I could sing, I wanted to play an instrument.
So in grade 8, I started playing baritone. But, I really wanted to play trombone. Mr. Edwards challenged me that if I made the switch, if I couldn’t pass a music test at the end of the summer, I would have to stay in junior band for another year, learning my craft as a trombone player.
I think my mom was so happy for that next school year to begin because I drove her nuts; practicing 5-6 hours a day because I didn’t want to stay behind. Challenge was accepted and I was able to stay with my group.
Mr. Edwards created this award winning program with incredible success in competitions that had the bands and choirs flying all over the world and I wanted to be a part of that success.
It also created a close knit comradery of musicians and many friendships continue to this day and being part of the band and choirs had a lot to do with that.
Mr. Edwards was a wonderful teacher and leader; he was kind but expected our best and nothing less. And it showed itself in the many concerts and as I said, competition wins that gave the music department trips around the world.
Our jazz band even played on CBC radio among the many blessings we had for our years in band.
Those things do not happen unless there is a dedicated, resourceful, creative teacher and we thank Mr. Edwards for being that and so much more.
I have to stop and say a huge thank you to our 2 administrators, Mr. Ralph and Mrs. Bennett for their efforts as our principal and vice-principal during my years at LHS and their years of service.
Sometimes, one needs perspective to see how valuable a person was in one’s life.
Having had some and still have responsibilities administratively in the school system, I now can appreciate the efforts of Mr. Ralph and Mrs. Bennett even more.
Our school at times could be a little zany but Mr. Ralph always kept his cool, gave fatherly advice while being able to assert when needed.
Mrs. Bennett was also an accomplished Chemistry teacher and while my relationship with her as a VP was great, for me, she shone as my chemistry teacher.
Her motto was, if your mark on a test was 75% or less, you had to re-write the test because she wanted us to get it!
At first it was a drag but in the end, those discipline moments really made a difference later on in college and university.
Mr. Ralph and Mrs. Bennett recently passed away and for most of us, what we found powerful was that they passed away within 3 days of each other. It almost seemed fitting that their work/educational lives were intertwined and in the final episode, intertwined again. I am grateful for the fairness, kindness, friendliness of 2 administrators we had in Mr. Ralph and Mrs. Bennett.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my political science teacher, Mel Hines who I had for a full year in college.
We didn’t agree on much as Mr. Hines was more liberal in his thinking and I was more conservative but there was this incredible mutual respect that we had for each other.
The debates were lively and animated but he taught us to think for ourselves and never to fall into group think mentality.
To never accept what the media tells us just because they would say whatever “It” would be.
Our fall class session fell into an election cycle here in Canada so every class that fall had fresh material.
Mel said that it was more important to think for ourselves, to be able to look at the news and learn to become objective and even if most swim with group think, we didn’t have to because it didn’t mean group think was right.
We had a great send off at the end of the spring session and I thanked him for helping me to think on my feet and he in turn thanked me for being courageous to defend my views without fear of reprisals.
It is kind of sad that in this day we live in, if you’re on the other side of the “prevailing thought”, it isn’t quite like that…
Recent Thank you’s
I had the opportunity to run into Mr. Hopper 5 years ago at a high school in the city I was working at. He was doing some consulting, part time work and I was able to tell him how he made such a difference in my life because of his enthusiasm and care to help us want to love what we were learning. It was such an honor.
I met Mr. Plaice on the Lakeshore in Lachine 4 years ago sitting on a bench getting some sun while we were biking. I was able to tell him how much he meant to me in my growth as a writer and reader. He actually remembered a few stories and the Jane Eyre book report. It was such an honor to to tell him how much he meant to me.
We've had a number of reunions over the past number of years and Mr. Edwards has attended a number of them so many of us have had the opportunity to thank him personally for the imprint he's had on our lives.
So, you may not know these names but if you have a way to say thanks to a former educator in your life that made a difference in your life, why not do it?
If that is not the case, maybe you can do something nice for an educator you know, maybe your kid’s educators but it is a grind and many a day, we wonder if we make a difference…
Why not speak words of life now and not wait to give and show our appreciation because those past, present educators deserve our thanks.
Let’s not say well, that bad one was….. I know, grade 10 math stunk but in the same period of time, I had some gems that far outweighed and out reached that class of trouble!
We salute you teachers, special educators, behavioral technicians, and guidance counselors, administrators who grind it out to try and make a difference in the lives of our students!!
These unsung heroes aren’t doing what they do for glory, grandeur or accolades but we need to be thankful because they help make our days, weeks, months better and we are truly better for having them in our lives!
Dave
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Would that grade 10 math teacher be a short man whose last name began with C?