When I was your age, I watched a lot of TV shows about school—Saved by the Bell, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and Boy Meets World. I always wondered what it would be like to watch those shows as a teacher. Back then, I could only relate to the students—I was one, after all.
I was never a very good student. I never did my Summer reading assignments. I still remember I flunked my 5th grade reading assignment, Where the Red Fern Grows. I never did the optional study guides, though I should have. I never studied my roots & vocabulary the way I was supposed to. I just didn't know how to. I never did well on anything in a science class. I practically failed Algebra. My standardized test scores were always in the bottom one-third of the average. I tried, but it just didn't happen the way I wanted things to go. I saw my friends go on to take advanced classes, get A's on tests, and do very well on their SAT's and other academic tests, but I was never able to keep up with them..
In 10th grade at Riverwood High School, I had a teacher who taught me far more than just Language Arts. He was a legend as they would say. He was difficult, tough, argumentative, stern, and rarely smiled in class. But, he was exactly the type of teacher I needed at the time. He helped me understand myself—both as a student and as a person—and he helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life. He taught me that hardships were, in fact, hard, and that was the way things were. If you failed, you had to do the make up work. If you failed the make up work, tough. Move on.
I also had a coach who went beyond track and field; he taught me what it meant to love something deeply. Since that year (1998-1999) I’ve known I wanted to be both a teacher and a coach. It became my mission.
In college and graduate school, you learn how to be a teacher—but not how to be yourself as a teacher. That part comes with experience. Along the way, you learn what you know, what you don’t, where you shine, and where you need to grow—not just as an educator, but as a person. I’ll likely spend more than half my life inside a school building, and that’s exactly what I hoped for as a kid.
It was my dream at 16 to become a teacher and a coach—and now, thanks to you, that dream is my reality. You are now a part of my life's journey. You spent time with me in the hallways, in my classroom, on the track, the basketball court, and the everywhere we've ever encountered each other. You’ve stepped into that dream life with me, and whether you realize it or not, you’ll always be a part of it.
I know we still have graduation practice, the ceremony itself, and a few more days together here at Davis. But from the teacher side of things, I want to leave you with this, one last time:
Gang, Be Good!
