This week, millions of student’s will head back to school. While our education system is under tremendous fire, it is the time of year for all of us to remember the saying ‘if you can read this [blog], thank a teacher’.
For ten months of the year, our children spend almost 60% of their waking hours with teachers. Teachers spend their time teaching, nurturing, and caring for children… this starts before the bell rings in the morning and extends well beyond after it sounds in the afternoon.
A few years ago I learned that one of my great teachers was retiring. I contacted his wife and asked her if she would take the time to read something for me at his retirement. She did. Here it is:
First, thank you for giving me the opportunity to have a few moments to tell you a little bit about Colin Craig. Colin has been a teacher, coach, mentor, and long-time friend. I have three short stories, nothing big, just three stories.
The first one is about kindness. It is about a kid from our class and a childhood friend who played basketball for Colin in the early 80’s. He had a difficult childhood and grew up in a very tumultuous environment and at times, struggled to find hot meals and a warm bed. Very quietly and without fanfare, Colin and Jill (hi wife) took this lad in and provided him with a ‘home’. What I don’t think Colin and Jill ever knew is that everyone at our school not only knew about it but also had a new appreciation for Colin as a person. There were a lot of whispers and quiet conversations that ended in ‘wow, that’s pretty cool’ – as many of us knew that we were all only a heartbeat away from being in that situation and knowing that there were people like Colin and Jill who would take this on, was powerful. For those of us who knew Colin, this was no surprise – but the level of quiet respect for Colin from others in the school became exponential.
The second story is about modeling. As a teacher, Colin always modeled what he expounded. Whether it was health, fitness, or leadership, what he advocated during the school day was modeled after school hours. It went beyond driving players home after games and practices – he and his wife reached out to a number of us to travel throughout the years to watch games and attend tournaments – even when he did not have his own teams playing. But that is not what I am talking about when I say ‘modeling’. I still recall very clearly the day that our team was called out of class at approximately 2:50 PM one afternoon for a meeting in the main foyer of our school. Colin brought us together to tell us that he would be adjusting his coaching schedule the following yea
r. He would be taking on less of a coaching load. He told us that he was soon to be a father and that he felt it important that he be there for his family. I think most people were disappointed that he would not be coaching them… but for me it was a lesson not taught in any textbook – one of prioritization.
The final story is of leadership. As a coach, Colin not only was a student of the sport but also focused on the individual. Coaching in small communities, the pure ‘talent’ of aLeBron James or a Lance Armstrong does not come along every day – if ever. Colin knew this but never spoke it. Instead, he looked for individuals who were willing to ‘go after the hard ones’. He looked for those who were first at practice and the last to leave – regardless of their ‘talent’. He realized that it was these individuals that would pour it on – regardless of
the scoreboard or the time left on the clock. While you always knew he was in charge, I never once saw Colin lose his temper – he led with authority and motivated all to achieve. For those of us who are ‘note takers’, we took a few pages from Colin’s play book and applied them to life – to our own individual athletics, our work, and our loves. He taught us respect, humility, humanity and that a strong work ethic are what makes a winner in the long run.
Colin went on to become a school administrator (Principal) and a district administrator (Superintendent), and father – but for me, he will always be a teacher and coach.
So with this, as you take your children back to school this week, reflect back on your school days and take a moment, to thank a teacher.