I had one of the great moments in my teaching career last night. It was commencement which is a special time anyways, but after the ceremony I was in the Saints Den (cafeteria) speaking with various graduates when a young lady came up to me. As luck would have it, I wasnt talking with anyone and it was like a very short private conversation. Now Im far from perfect as a person, a father or a teacher. Im likely the most politically incorrect teacher still practicing the profession. Im sarcastic and often surprisingly loud. I make mistakes on a regular basis and sometimes seem to have trouble learning from them. But this young woman almost brought me to tears. I have never taught her, though I would often see her in the halls and we would always exchange greetings. She has a lovely smile and a sunny disposition, but that is the extent of our contact. At any rate she said something to me that went like this--my apologies to her if I dont remember it exactly--to be frank I know I havent. Still this is the gist of it... Mr. Briard, I just wanted to say something to you. Ive never had you as a teacher, but I often wished I had. I want to say that I admire you. I think youre a good man and I admire your principles. I wanted you to know. There was a bit more, but I honestly was blown away and cant remember anymore. I was so taken aback and for a moment was speechless. Then I thanked her. I wish I could have told her how much this comment meant to me. Even now sitting her, I have a tear running down my face. It is unlikely that I will ever forget this moment. It is like a validation of my career. I told the graduating class last night that it was one of my favourite classes ever. We always have such great kids, but there were so many this past year. This conversation was like icing on the cake!
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 15:55:14 +0000
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