In the time that I knew Rich I’ve found there to be a predictable sequence of events that would happen whenever I needed to talk to him. The reasons for our conversations may vary. As advisory department chair I would have to talk to him about whatever new initiative or whatever came out of the advisory department meetings. As a fellow teacher, we’d talk about matters relating to my students, or his (although his students rarely had issues). Also as a conference-attendee. As a new teacher, I didn’t talk to Rich very often until we went to the New Tech conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Throughout all these times, and across all of these contexts, there have been a few constant events that would happen as we had a conversation.
1) I would instantly realize that school issues aren’t that serious
Usually within the first 5 seconds of our exchange Rich would say something, or nothing, that would completely disarm me. Just his tone of voice, would remind me that if he can be pleasant, then I should be too. Our interactions always began with this as he must have had an endless reserve of pleasantness. Then I would bring up whatever task or issue, or so-called problem that was on my mind. Usually this was delivered with that tone you say when you feel bad about putting something on someone’s plate. Regardless of the task, he would reply with the exact same level of pleasantness. No matter how crazy the question was, he would say “alright, tell you what…” and describe his response with the exact same pleasant tone that he had before. He knew in the long run that whatever we were talking about wasn’t THAT important. Don’t get me wrong his responses were carefully thought out and showed that he took the issue seriously. He just made me question whether or not my task, or issue, or so-called problem was worth becoming unpleasant.
2) I would realize how important teaching is as a profession
No matter what was brought to Rich, he would approach it with the full attention and focus it deserved. He would do so in a manner that exemplified what it meant to be a professional. One time I mentioned that a few of my advisees wanted to do an art project in seminar. I would have been satisfied with 3 boxes of markers, but what I got was a full lesson plan complete with examples of how we could create an advisory t shirt. He was even willing to come in to my class to get them excited, and the following week spend another of his preps in the art room to show them how to burn the screen and make the shirts. When OK would do, Rich would deliver great instead. These encounters made me proud to be a colleague of Rich’s, and proud to be a part of this teaching profession alongside him.
3) Finally, I would inspired to become a better teacher
So as we finished talking about whatever other minutiae brought me to Rich that day, he would then have something really interesting going on that I would have to ask about. Maybe it’s the box of ping pong paddles that he used in advisory, or the folders that kids used in his art class, or the stickers he used during the last registration. “Oh, this…” he would nonchalantly begin as he described to whatever new project I was pointing too. His nonchalance would always ramp up to infectious enthusiasm as he explained the new tweak he is introducing to keep students engaged. By the end of the conversation I would walk away with the wheels in my head turning over what I could do in my classroom. I wasn’t always interested in copying his ideas, my mind would be working because a new idea would start to germinate in my head. “Man I should be doing something like that with my math class!” or “Why didn’t I actually trust my kids, and myself, with the idea that I had?” His willingness to tinker with his practice would always leave me looking for things to tinker with in mine.
I can honestly point to those three things happening every time I talked with Rich. From the first time I talked with him, two years before I started working here, when I was shadowing Toni as part of my principal program, until the last time I talked with him after the awards ceremony, as he was surrounded by all of his student art. His death is tragic, and my words cannot summarize the pain and loss felt by the City-As-School community. Hopefully recalling my experiences with him can help to keep his memory and presence alive.