Linden Memories

"There is something to be said, when we choose to focus on the positive rather than point out the negative."

My wife has a way of making thought provoking statements.

I thought I would begin my last week at Linden where I have taught for 11 years with some sort of post regarding the best times. It seemed appropriate to take my wife's advice and focus on the positive.

I brainstormed as many memories as I could and a funny thing happened. The majority of the memories that stuck out were negative.

Several funerals and deaths come to mind.

The job itself has been extremely stressful and has taken its toll on my attitude and emotional well being. But these are things I anticipated and met head on from the start. I understood what I undertaking when I started and meant to do so.

Fortunately, there have been examples of good in this eleven year experience.

Each year I tell my students to send me an invite to their high school graduations. The year my first class at Linden finally made their way across the stage to receive their diplomas, I was able to attend. As I blogged before, a former student from that first class took me up on my claim and made sure I got a ticket.

It was a validating experience to say the least.

I tried to be a teacher that understood his students and showed he could relate. I tried to be a teacher they were comfortable around. But at the same time I intentionally tried to avoid being their "friend." I struggled throughout my time there balancing these two approaches.

There were times when I compromised my authority being too nice and others when I became too distant and never gained some students' trust as I was too much of an authority figure.

It is a tricky balance to find. I admire my friend and colleague Chad who has always had great relationships with students and their parents. A style I look to emulate in the future.

In this student's case, I was able to pull off the relationship I wanted. I earned his respect and made enough of an impression to be remembered eight years later and thought of in the terms of his education. In the end that was my job and I must have done it right.

I had a similar experience with another student who was extremely difficult, challenging and seemingly apathetic to my efforts towards his education. I lost touch with his family before he graduated so I never received any invite (I sure would have loved to though) to his commencement, but I ran into his mother several times.

They moved to another school but she found a way to keep her younger children at Linden because of, in her words, the positive experience her son had with me in 4th grade. From her vantage point, she saw her son make a dramatic improvement in school during his year with me, especially in Math. From my point of view, he was just strong in Math. His work proved it.

It was a great feeling every time I ran into her and saw her purposely come over with a smile to say hello and give me a hug. It was one of those things that you don't realize as it is happening, but it still happens.

Teaching is much like that. You can't see or feel it all of the time, but it is still there.

Another enjoyable experience at the L, would have to be the weekly basketball games after school. It started with guys (and lady) we taught with along with some other friends to make out and even 8-10 players. Even as teachers who played left Linden, we continued to play with numerous different rotations of guys. It was a nice mid week stress relief and excuse for exercise that was much needed, especially during the winter months.

I also recall the 4th Grade Math Tournament. It was the idea of Ms. Yetts but the creation of my own. We took the last month of the school year to spend some time each day getting the kids to master their math facts that usually seemed so weak. We used the "bracketology" of the NCAA basketball tournament in March as our format and it became a great motivator for our kids as they watched their names move through the bracket to the championship and ended with a ribbon or trophy or medal of some sort. Plus, it helped give us something to do the last day of school.

Most of all, the people(both staff and students) of Linden will be what I remember most. These people and the relationships I have had with them are the most poignant.

The emotional moments I have had with numerous people since it became public knowledge I was leaving, bare that out. It has been difficult to look people in the eye and tell them I'm leaving. The list of people and moments with them is so long that I need to devote a whole other post to them.

I guess that means there is more good than I expected. Maybe my better half was on to something after all. She usually is.