For the opening, I rewrote the lyrics to "Wilkommen" from the musical Cabaret. The original song goes back and forth between and singing and speaking, between welcoming patrons to a Nazi-era Berlin cabaret and introducing them to the club's performers. The words I wrote for the gala also welcomed everyone, but the original spoken parts of the song were replaced with a tribute to some of my former Southeast Polk teachers to explain the importance of the Foundation's role in enhancing educational opportunities for Southeast Polk students.
I love performing, and being able to sing something set to the tune of a song from one of my favorite musicals was incredibly fun. What I didn't expect was the response when I talked about the teachers who were so important to me during my own education at Southeast Polk.
Here's what I said. (It's what I wrote, anyway. There were times I went slightly off script.)
I’d like to share with you a little about why I think the work of the Southeast Polk Education Foundation is so important. Like many of you here tonight, I have a long history here. I’ve been a Southeast Polk resident, student, employee, and/or parent for over 40 years. I first entered the Southeast Polk schools in 1974 as a student is Ms. Dunagan’s kindergarten class at Centennial Elementary, and I want to tell you about the legacy of educators that I am so proud to have called my teachers, my colleagues, and my friends.
People who only know me as Southeast Polk’s data and assessment coordinator, or even those who knew me in my previous position as the Junior High’s computer technology teacher, tend to be surprised to learn that I started my career as a language arts teacher. They wouldn’t be if they’d known the Southeast Polk English department triumvirate of Dale Vandehaar, Rocky Graziano, and the incomparable Joyce Tremble. Their influence was so great that there are still a number of teachers in the high school English department who were Southeast Polk students at the same time as I.
So how did a book nerd with an English degree from the University of Iowa and a decade of English teaching experience become a computer technology teacher, and then a data and assessment coordinator? By having great teachers in all subject areas at Southeast Polk. Hugh Elrod and Lowell Bauer were masters of mathematics, while Kevin Stalter’s class showed me how physics could be applied in real-world situations. I still believe our government could be improved by having every voter learn principles of logic from Dallas Hakeman and Gary Fry.
Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that part of the reason for the musical nature of tonight’s opening is due to the great Leigh Fleming, whose influence as Southeast Polk High School’s vocal music teacher and fine arts chair simply cannot be overstated.
As I said the names of these teachers, there were visible reactions from many people in the crowd. I saw heads nod. I saw people smile. I saw people look at those around them in recognition of shared experiences in Southeast Polk's classrooms. There was clapping, and even some cheers. All of this was for educators who are years removed from their time teaching Southeast Polk's students.
After we got to the live auction portion of the program and I was able to relax for a few minutes, I started think about the audience reaction to hearing the names of those teachers. They were names I had chosen because of my own experiences in their classes, but clearly my experiences were not unique. I wondered if these amazing educators knew how influential they were to their Southeast Polk students, and if they had any idea while they were at Southeast Polk that their impact on the students who were lucky enough to be in their classes would last for decades. I wondered if they know that their impact is being felt still among people who are now parents of the current generation of Southeast Polk students.
I hope they do. And I hope that those of us who are currently responsible for teaching and learning at Southeast Polk never lose sight of the lasting importance of the roles we currently play in the lives and futures of our students. Teaching is a profession where it's often hard to see the impact of our work in terms of individual students beyond the short time we have them in our classrooms, but judging by the response I felt from the crowd at the Black and Gold Gala, that impact is there, and its effect endures long past the time our students graduate.
Because of a sound issue, I didn't hear the beginning of the song, and wasn't able to include the final spoken verse that I had written to wrap it up. I ended up using it after the close of the live auction as a way to end the program and thank everyone in attendance for their support of our teachers and students. I want to include it here, because it sums up my reasons for writing everything that came before it.
I’m here tonight because I had great teachers who were passionate about what they taught, and passionate in their belief in their students. I’m here because I’m proud to play a small part in Southeast Polk’s educational legacy. You’re also here tonight because you believe in our teachers and students, and you have an opportunity to help expand and enhance teaching and learning opportunities throughout the district. For that, I thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment