Another of my teachers/coaches passed away last week. I graduated high school forty-two years ago, so it should not be surprising. Nevertheless, it stings. It is yet another teacher/coach that influenced my life and never received a well-deserved expression of gratitude.
In thirteen years of K-12 and 10 years of college (undergraduate through doctorate), I have had a lot of teachers. Even the worst of these (and there are few) deserve my grattitude.
There are fewer coaches (most of whom were teachers, as well), but none is less deserving. Sports, after all, have shaped my character as much, if not more, than academics. I realized yesterday, that only two of my wrestling coaches (I had only five from fourth through twelfth grade) are still living. Of my coaches (including football), only four have formally been thanked.
I cannot thank all the teachers who have influenced me. Some have passed. The names of some have been forgotten. Likely all have retired and would be hard to track down. I hope I show my grattitude by carrying their influence into the classroom and into my coaching. Several of my teachers get mentioned often—Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Moreland when it comes to writing, Ms. Romano when it comes to math (and when I see the number of students who have been led to believe that they “can’t do math” or that “math is hard”), Dr. Morse when I discuss anatomy, and Dr. Flynn when I teach exercise immunology. These are but a few, and I wish I could name them all. There are others, like Dave Goethals, who were mentors. My wrestlers in strength and conditioning learn of Coaches Kling and Colley through our “Russian conditioning.”
Thank your teachers and coaches while you can. If you are reading this and were my teacher or coach, know that I am grateful and that I acknowledge the tremendous influence you have on my life. I hope that my students/athletes are benefiting as branches on this tree of influence. I make the promise to my teachers and coaches that I will strive to honor your impact and….
Be (my) best today and be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!