To All the Teachers

August 12, 2020

Back to school seems to be in full swing, all around the nation, but I’m especially aware of it here in my neck of the woods, Southeast Texas.

In case this is news to some of you, I am a teacher – yep, 26 years of teaching experience. I’m what you might call “semi-retired” now. And, honestly, especially this year – “The Year of Covid-19,” I gotta say I’m glad about that. The mask-wearing, social distancing, “invest in anti-bacterial soap” pleas, no backpacks-yes backpacks, “of-course-we’re-playing-football” stories I’ve heard from family and friends all over this state are enough to scare ALL teachers away, even veterans like me.

And yet, there’s a tiny, weak, suppressed part of me that misses the excitement of “Back to School.” Even wearing a mask.

Hearing all the crazy stories of how we as, Americans, will be educating students in the midst of a pandemic, reminds me of one important truth:

Teachers are important.

And not because I sit around and think every day about all the kids’ lives I’ve touched…OK, maybe some days I think about that and HOPE that’s the case, but I saw the reality of that played out in my own family this past weekend.

My boy came home for the weekend, which is enough to make me forget all about Covid-19, arthritis and any other problem I might be facing at the moment. My life NEVER feels as easy, peaceful and purposeful as when my son is home.

We cooked together, talked about unimportant and important things and watched movies all weekend. But, in the midst of all this mother-son bonding, he suffered a tragedy.

A young police officer and her partner were struck, head on, by a drunk driver. The young female officer did not survive, and she was a high school friend of Riley’s.

I thought it was so fitting that Riley was in town during this loss. He and his high school circle of friends began talking, texting, trying to make sense of the young woman’s death and help each other grieve. It was so sad, but beautiful, at the same time.

Now, I’ve got to backtrack a moment and introduce a special teacher to you, Mr. Davis.

Mr. Davis teaches history at the local high school, from which Riley graduated. He began talking about Mr. Davis very early in that first year he was in his class. In the beginning, we thought the Mr. Davis love was because Riley LOVED history so much, but soon we began to see the real connection: Mr. Davis deeply cared about his students and, yes, he wanted them to learn history, but he wanted to teach them so much more – how to become confident men.

Very soon after school started, Riley and several of his friends began eating lunch most days with Mr. Davis, in his classroom. Yes, guys, this man gave up his free lunch time to engage these teen-aged boys. When I asked Riley what they talked about, it was always “just stuff.” I expect this “stuff” included history, literature, (that much I could get out of Riley), school, college, I daresay girls, and quite possibly over-bearing parents (except, I’m sure, not Riley’s parents, because I’m certain he would have NEVER considered me over-bearing.)

Riley had Mr. Davis for 2 years in high school. During that time, over break or on weekends, Mr. Davis would go for coffee or lunch with this group of boys. Then, Mr. Davis even came to Riley’s graduation party.

How sweet, you’re probably thinking, that Riley had such a great relationship with a teacher during high school. Except it didn’t stop there.

Once these boys got into college, at least once a year, usually at Christmas, they would all get together for a meal. They also formed a group text and would have an occasional conversation by that means. This went on for the 4 years that Riley was in college.

That brings us up to this past weekend, 5 years after Riley graduated from high school.

When all the texting started after hearing about their friend’s death, these guys decided to have lunch together on Monday, just to talk and try to process. Guess where this lunch took place?

If you guessed Mr. Davis’ home, you’re right. This man, already back to work, preparing for a crazy year of teaching, with probably many things undone and questions unanswered, took his lunch break to be with these former students, who were hurting and needed help processing the death of a friend.

I was amazed.

Let me stop and tell you, too, that all of these boys come from in tact, as-healthy-as-a-family-can-be, families. Any one of those boys could have and did receive help, words of comfort and love from their parents in grieving this loss. But in addition to that, these young men sought the counsel and words of wisdom from their beloved high school teacher.

So here’s the bottom line: teachers, even THIS year, in the midst of an insane school year, complete with masks, tons of anti-bacterial soap and large gaps between desks, YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF STUDENTS!

Guys, your students need you – all of them. Even in the lives of those students who are smart, come from great families, you can make an impact that changes him/her forever. How do I know that? I’ve experienced it.

And, to Mr. Davis, in case you happen to be reading, I don’t have the words to tell you how thankful I am that you were and still are Riley’s teacher. The connection and impact you’ve had on my child is one I didn’t see coming, but consider to be one of the most important of his life. Thank you, from the bottom of a mom’s heart, thank you!

Go get ’em, teachers! You can do this…even wearing a mask.

and above all else love