Sunday, August 24, 2014

Strengthening my Resolve



I was in Costco buying some garbage bags this morning.  I went and lined up.  It was quite busy, surprising for a Sunday morning.  The man in front of me was talking to his young son about the Lego they were buying.  He turned to me and said, "It's Dave, isn't it?"  I said yes, thinking to myself, "I have no idea who this is..."  He said, "You might not remember, but I think you coached me in basketball at John Barsby a while back."  I had taught 3 years at Barsby, coaching senior boys basketball and some volleyball between 1999-2002, but he didn't look familiar.  He looked older, maybe in his mid-30s.  He said, "My name is Gord M.  You coached junior boys basketball."  I was shocked.  I had coached there...in 1990.  The first team I had ever coached.  I was only 20.  "I can't believe you remember that Gord.  That was 24 years ago!"  His reply was, "Well, you made an impression."  Boom.  There it was...the reason I'm a teacher and coach...the reason why this fight for public education is so important to me...(and the reason why I believe extracurriculars are invaluable in our schools).  I must have looked shocked, and all I could say was "Thank you."  We chatted, and I let him know that I was still teaching and coaching.  Then I realized, that experience must have made an impression on me too.  It was then I switched into education.  It was then I knew I wanted to be a high school teacher and coach.  I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed.

This job, this career, this calling, is not a job like any other.  It isn't about producing goods or services, or labourers for LNG projects that may or may not come to fruition.  I have a better understanding now than I did this morning about the true impact teachers have on the lives of their students.  I have a stronger resolve than I did this morning about the importance of what we as teachers are standing up for right now.  It's not about curriculum, or tests, or wages, or taxes.  It's about Gord...a student at an inner city school that remembered his basketball coach from Grade 10, 24 years later, and his son, who is just about to enter Kindergarten.  It's about my own kids in Grade 4 & 7. It's about all our kids, and I'm more willing than ever to hold the line to protect their opportunity to have those experiences and memories.