Friday, December 3, 2010

KIND OF SAD . . .

I just found out a few days ago that my favorite teacher from high school has cancer. How scary and sad for him. If you knew me well, you'd know that I HATED high school. There was very little that I liked about it. 1.) My best friend came from there. We've been friends since we were 13 years old. And NO, I'm not going to tell you how LONG we've been friends, because then you'll know just how old I really am! ;) 2.) Retreats. We went on retreats every year in high school. And those were very rewarding and refreshing, and they helped me to become a stronger person. 3.) This teacher. He's probably one of the best teachers I've ever had. I had him Sophomore and Senior year. One of the classes was US History. And I HATED US History. I'm sorry, but I just think it's boring. But somehow he made it seem interesting. I remember when the Challenger exploded and he told us that we have the last set of history books that will NOT have that in there. I'm not sure why that stuck out in my mind, but I think it just helped me realize that history changes every day and that's why we SHOULD be interested in where we came from and where we might be heading. I always looked forward to going to his class. It was always one of my favorites, believe it or not. He really knew how to get your attention and make you think that what you were studying was actually important. But more than that, he really seemed to care about his kids. I've had a lot of teachers in my life. And I've had some very good teachers, and some not so good ones. And one quality of the BEST teachers is that they CARE. And I really think he did.

He had cancer once before and it went away. But now it's back. And I'm sure it takes a toll on a family. Physically, mentally, financially. It breaks my heart to see such a great person going through such a great struggle. I hope, and I pray, that the cancer goes away for good this time. And I also hope he knows that he made a great impression on his students. Even one that hated high school and has very few good memories from those years. But his class was one of the bright spots for her in a place where there seemed to be very few.