ONE INNOVATIVE TEACHER PUT ME ON BETTER PATH IN LIFE
Influencers like him change lives every day, Ken Donohue writes.
My father died a year ago, and I’ve come to learn that he kept every piece of paper and correspondence that came his way.
The other day, I was going through some things with my mom and I came across a form letter from my Grade 5 teacher addressed to my parents. It was dated May 1, 1981.
“Parent, It has become necessary to inform you of a problem (my name inserted) is causing at school.”
It went on to say students are supposed to eat lunch in their classrooms with a minimal amount of supervision, and misbehaviour such as running around the room, throwing food or refuse and unnecessary noise is unacceptable.
Because of my behaviour, I wasn’t allowed to eat lunch at school for a week. I don’t suspect my parents were happy receiving that letter. I know it’s a shocking surprise to those who know me, but truth be told, I spent a lot of time with my desk in the hallway or sitting in the principal’s office during elementary school.
I was never a bad kid. I remember being full of energy, talkative, and enjoyed hijinks. Upon reflection, I was probably a disruptive influence in the class.
This all changed in Grade 7 when I had one of those teachers whose positive influence one never forgets. His name was Ron Rothnie and he saw in me something more than just that kid sitting in the principal’s office.
Rothnie’s desk was at the back of the class and, likely by design, I was seated in front of him, where he could keep a watchful eye on me. He was a different kind of teacher, perhaps even unconventional. I remember early in the school year, he cursed. Naturally, we all giggled. He promptly told us to grow up.
We might not have cared at the time, but he was teaching us a lesson. He reminded us often that we needed to be more mature and when we got to high school, no one would “spoon-feed us.”
In past years, when I got into trouble, teachers would make me stay after school and lamely write lines on the board.
“I will not disrupt the class … I will not disrupt the class …”
Boring!
Rothnie, in contrast, made me write a 300-word essay after school on how my behaviour impacted the class. I had to take it home for my parents to sign and return it the next day. Was my work decades later as a writer seeded in that classroom?
I don’t know when it happened, but Rothnie started giving me more responsibilities. He put me in charge of the school crossing guards before and after school. As I took on more leadership responsibilities, I didn’t want to let him down. The word wasn’t in my vocabulary at the time, but it was like having a mentor. He was instilling in me a sense of maturity and self-respect.
I will never forget the yearend assembly. I won every award possible, except the athletic award. I don’t say this to be boastful; I remember then being embarrassed. I left Grade 7 a different person than when I started. And I did so because of one teacher.
Years later, I would return to Rothnie’s class to let him know how I was doing. And a few years ago, now long retired, I tracked him down and my wife and I swapped stories with him over lunch.
It’s appropriate as another school year has ended to reflect on those teachers who had a positive influence on our lives.
There are teachers right now, just like Rothnie, who are setting their students on the right path.