Grandpa's Stories

For Father’s Day 2016, my grandson, Jude, gave me a gift that I had to give back by design.  The gift was a book entitled, “Grandpa. His Stories. His Words”.  The idea was for me to answer the questions in the book in my own handwriting. When I finished, I gave it back to Jude for his first birthday.  He will have a record of his Grandpa’s thoughts and can pass this down to his own children and their children.  Of course, before that, he has to learn how to read!  I answered questions about my ancestry (part Scottish), what my own grandparents were like, the personalities of my parents (incredible servants), what my bedroom was like when I was a kid (shared a 10 x12” room with both brothers), what school was like, the finances of our family (we were financially strapped just like everyone else on our block), my first car (A 1969 Opel Kadet purchased for $200), who I first voted for President (Carter/Ford election), my hobbies as a kid, chores, nicknames, favorite holiday, family meals (every night at 5:31), my first job (shoveling manure for 75 cents/hr), major events in my life (there are a lot), how I met Grandma (great story if you want to hear it), memorable vacations, disappointments, people I looked up to, how the world has changed for the better, and an important lesson that my parents taught me (they taught me much through their actions).  I love our little guy.  Being a Grandpa is a wonderful experience…except for that dirty diaper replay.

Imagine if your students, current and past, wrote stories about you.  What would they write?  What would they write about your personality?  Outgoing or a stick in the mud, approachable or feared, funny or distant, fearful and a crabby pants?  What would they write about your classroom?  Inviting, well-decorated, clean or cold, Spartan, or a pig sty?  What would they write about your teaching?  Learned a lot, made learning fun, challenged me or didn’t learn squat, boring, and didn’t care?  What would they write about impactful events in your classroom?  I”ll never forget….or we never did anything except worksheets.  Whether or not your students write their thoughts down on paper is immaterial.  They are writing thoughts about you in their minds every day.  Last August, I attended my high school reunion – 40 years.  Thank God for name tags!  We talked about the present – jobs, kids, grandkids, etc., but guess what we talked about the most?  That’s right – our teachers.  Your students will talk about you at their class reunions one day.  The biggest memory that they will share is how you treated them.  Make great memories today, tomorrow, and forever.   Being a teacher is a wonderful experience…and no dirty diapers.