The Hole in One

In my first class as a high school student I had a social studies teacher who started out the school year with a pretty cheesy ice breaker. He had this list of items on a piece of paper and told everyone in the class that they had to find someone else in the room that matched an experience on the list. I can vividly recall scanning the list and seeing that one of the items was, 'hit a hole in one on the golf course'. Looking around the room at the rest of my freshmen classmates, I knew that none of us had ever done such a thing. Why on earth was something like this even on the list of paper? And then for that matter, why were we even doing this? I had known and grown up with all of these people for what, going on 10 years by now?

Obviously as a  dense fourteen year old it took a few extra moments for it to click. There could only be one person in the room with this type of accomplishment. To this day I am uncertain if Mr. Newland was bragging about his prowess on the golf course or if he was truly breaking the ice and letting us all know he had a passion for golf. (I found out that spring Mr. Newland was also the golf coach so it started to make a bit more sense.) I am not a golfer but people who know more about it than I do continue to tell me it's a pretty big deal to hit a hole in one.

That afternoon not only did I learn Mr. Newland was an avid golfer (and quite good at it (or so he says)), but I also learned he was genuinely interested in getting to know all of us. As those four years went by I recall he also had quite a sense of humor! I can also remember from those early introductory classes Mr. Newland telling us that if he ever started out a sentence with the phrase, "I would remember...." there was a very good (well 100%) chance that little tidbit was going to be on the next test. I went on to take every single class Mr. Newland taught, even an elective course most high school student where I came from simply dreaded: Economics. Truth be told, I wasn't really a stellar student; but I loved this teacher. And he loved his students. He had a passion for his content and an uncanny way of making the material both interesting and accessible. He also carried around this cheap black plastic briefcase that we always used to wonder, 'what does he carry around in that thing'.

Well you all know what happened to me. I went on to become a music teacher. That in part because of the guidance of my music teachers. They were great too, and I have also spoken of them with you here in this very column. What you don't know is that I also contemplated becoming a social studies teacher. Times haven't changed all that much from then to now in terms of the job market for social studies teachers, which could be one of the reasons I chose the route I did. Nevertheless, Mr. Newland instilled in me a deep appreciation and love for history, civics, and government. If you don't believe me, just ask my wife Ann. Many of our vacations center around history, touring battlefields, old houses, and many, many museums.

For all the parents and grandparents out there, can you remember one of your childhood teachers? I'll bet you can recall a favorite teacher or two in your life and perhaps can think if a fun memory of your time in that classroom. I would encourage you to share that memory with your own children and ask them about their teachers.

The point in all this is that we have those teachers right here in our school district. They are connecting with students daily, getting to know them, nurturing them along, and providing sage advice whenever it is appropriate to do so. There must never be any doubt our teachers are helping to mold the minds of your children, who will be our future superintendents, teachers, doctors, and societal leaders. So, when you get a chance during this teacher appreciation week please thank your child's teacher for the work they do on a daily basis on behalf of our community--and for your child.