Reflections on retirement

Published 3:17 pm Saturday, December 23, 2023

By the time you read this, I’ll be officially retired as a full-time employee of the Thomas County Schools. After 30 years of teaching audio/video production to literally thousands of young people, it is time.

Before I started my first year teaching, I asked Frank Delaney if he had any sage words of wisdom to offer me. Being the sage he is, he offered the following:

“Rambo (that’s what he’s always called me), just remember that every single year you teach, those freshmen in your classes are always going to be 14 years old, the sophomores will always be 15, the juniors will always be 16, and the seniors will always be 17 or so.

But in every one of those years, you will get another year older. There’s just no way around it.”

And you know what? He was exactly right — as he has been pretty much all the time in all of the years he’s offered his sage wisdom with me on countless topics.

As I’ve said so many times, teaching was never part of my plan. But the plan we’re living isn’t entirely ours, is it? Even though I didn’t have a clue going into teaching, sometimes you just have to take the step even though you may not see the stairs.

In other words, you have to have faith.

I can honestly say I enjoyed almost every one of the 6,000 or so days I taught. Of course there were some scattered along the way I could’ve done without, but the overwhelming majority of them were great, and that’s squarely because of the students in our program. They hardly ever let me down.

When I was a student, teachers that I knew in my heart cared about me were the ones I genuinely wanted to please. Now, that didn’t mean I was going to have a 100 average in their classes. But it did mean I was going to do the best work I could for them because they invested themselves in me as something more than just a student.

That’s the arrangement I wanted in our program. It was a conscious decision and plan.

My son Ransom interviewed me a few weeks ago for the Yellow Jacket Tailgate show that airs on the radio before Central’s football games. In it, he asked me if I had any thoughts I’d like to share with young people considering becoming teachers. Here’s what I shared:

First off, grasp the enormity of the responsibility you have in front of you, and embrace it. You have the potential to become the most influential adult your students will encounter in their lives — yes, including their parents and family. I know that’s heavy, but it’s reality. Teaching ain’t for sissies.

Secondly, trust the kids God has put in front of you. There will be a few you’ll encounter along the way that will try every fiber of patience you have in you, but you know what? Those are the very kids that need to know that you truly give a rip about them. Do that single thing and watch those kids metamorphosize before your eyes. Remember — the kids you have are the best ones their families have to share, and they’re there for a reason.

You’re the boss in your classroom, but what happens in it belongs to them. Make no mistake, it truly is a partnership, but you either run your classroom or they will. Someone has to be the boss — but that doesn’t mean being a jerk.

Just like the adults teaching them, students are going to mess up. But the best lessons are learned through mistakes. Regardless, at least in my experience, the overwhelming majority of students will do pretty much what you ask of them.

More than anything, again, be brave enough to care about those kids in front of you as more than just students. They are all sponges who will soak up whatever they experience — both good and bad. But if they know you care about them, they’re going to give you their best. For some kids, the 75 work you’ll get from them is worth far more than the 100 you’ll get from kids where the work comes easy. Value both equally.

I’ve always believed if you have a caring teacher, an engaged student, and a support system from parents/home that underpins them both, failure in school for a young person is almost impossible.

We’re blessed to be living in a place where family still matters, and even young people who come from situations that aren’t exactly models of stability still have that essential underpinning support from home that holds them accountable.

Not every community has that, and you don’t have to look very far to find them.

It has been a fantastic ride, and I’ve been honored to help bring something to our county through our program that I believe has set us apart and made a positive difference in a lot of lives.

Mine included.

So, to wrap up these last 30 years, to all of the parents who always had my back, and to all of those students who made our program so special over these last 30 years, I offer a humble and heartfelt ‘thank you.’