A Temendous Tooty

"What did he just say? Who is this person? How long does this last?" Those were all the comments flying around the Humble HS Auditorium on my first day In-Service as a new teacher there. The auditorium was packed to gills. Teachers, old, new, fat, skinny...restless...why are we trapped here in this uncomfortable chair?
And, then, after several boring people, the Assistant Superintendent walked to podium to give an elaborate intro to Ms. Tooty Byrd from Austin, Texas. Well, curious name, for sure. She's the Keynoter...sounds good. Okay, refreshed, refocused, bring her out!
Taaaa daaaaahhhhhhh there she was. She entered from stage left. Awe, man, who were they kiddin'? Was she 80 or a 100? She walked slowly across the stage, slowly lifted her prompts to the lecturn, laid her forearms across the wooden lecturn and engaged, "Hello, I'm Tooty Byrd." Her voice was 3 octives lower than a good man with a slow, steady Texas drawal. Speak that for second...it's funny. But, that was on purpose.
Yeah, yeah, we see ya...they fooled us. Teachers began pulling work out to put in their laps, scrambling for crossword puzzles, anything to ignore this little old lady on the stage.
Tooty stood about 5'3". She was somewhat plump, white hair, wavy all over her head, dressed very fine, and a voice that sounded just like...TOOTY BYRD!
Suddenly, she spoke. Her intro was dynamic and interesting. She was a counselor for many years in the Austin ISD. The goal of her speech was to light a fire under 1500 teachers, coaches, administrators and all. Slowly she began to set the 'hook' as she talked of her past.
Within minutes, we couldn't take our eyes off this little 'ol power packed, dynamic woman. Suddenly, we respected her and all the 'junk' disappeared from laps. Immediately she was making sense and speaking of real world stuff that had happened in her tenure as teacher/counselor.
She told stories that had us rolling in the floor with laughter as we wiped the tears from our eyes. Her stories were real and she had the knack to 'pull it off' in front of a huge crowd of disgruntled employees. As the laughter rolled, she segwayed into the heart thumper. She had us, now it was time for the real reason she was there.
She began to speak of a freshman boy that entered her high school. Tooty was, at that time, the Sophomore Counselor. The counselors there moved year by year with their grade level. They got them in ninth grade and took them to graduation.
All of the counselors' offices were housed in the hallway just beyond the main building entrance. It was that place where students could slip in a few minutes early if they chose and move to their lockers. I heard Tooty in 1981, so her experiences were from those days of goodness, trust and what do you mean 'a gang?' Those were the good days in the world of public education!!
A tall, slender Freshman boy walked past her door, early every morning. About the third day as he passed, she caught his glance as he looked in her doorway. As was her practice, she smiled and said, 'good morning. Have a good day!' The young man acknowledged her salutation every day of his life. It was as though he could not begin his day unless he walked past Tooty's office to hear a welcome from her.
The years passed, Freshman, Sophomore, Junior....and then in the middle of his Senior year, his familiar face was not walking past her door. She had never been his counselor but she wondered where he was. Did he move? Did he drop out? Was he ill?
Towards the end of that school year, the young man walked into her office and asked to speak with her. She welcomed him, curious to hear from him. They had shared smiles and good mornings for many months.
He began with, "I want to thank you." Tooty was surprised. "No need to thank me, I say good morning to lots of kiddos." His reply, "Ms. Byrd, for four years at this school, you have been the only adult to acknowledge I was alive. You have shared a smile and hello with me each time I've passed your open door. I want to thank you for encouraging me to graduate." Tooty was dumb struck. Where was he leading? All she had done was said 'good morning'.
She leaned across her desks, peering into his eyes and asked, "why are you saying this?" Without hesitation, he said, "my dad died in January of this year. He left my mom and three of us behind. I started to drop out because I needed to assume the man of the house role. But, I remembered you taking time each day to wish me a good day. Because of you, I chose to find work at night and continue here. I'm graduating with my class."
To hear Tooty share that story brought us to our knees. We had laughed at comical stories til the tears rolled, now, the tears rolled because our hearts were touched. Her kindness to a student she never knew or worked with had impacted his life.
You see, whether it's kids or adults, someone is always watching us and hearing what we say. Sometimes, it's the one in the back of the room with a newspaper stuck in his face. Be aware and share a good morning or hello with a smile.
The reason we were all humbled with her Keynote Speech was because she stood for the real reason teachers should be in the classroom. It's not about the money or the time off (they all work two and three extra jobs)...it's about the kids.
Thus, I took that little 'ol Tooty Byrd's message to heart and went into the first day fired up to the nines. I was always thankful that I was one of the teachers in Texas privileged to hear her.
She impacted me, changed my thinking about the classroom and instilled tremendous desire to positively affect students.
I can't tell you how many students received a smile and a 'hi, have a great day' from me at Humble Middle School. Ihad the best room in the building...back corner across from the amphitheatre and the exit door to the buses. I stood in that hallway between every class and threw hello to many faces.
It's never too late to bring 'light' into someone's day. I hope many of us are doing on a regular basis. We have family and friends facing challenges, dealing with health issues and much more. It's not necessary to know every detail of our friends/family, but it is necessary to pause once in a while and say 'hello'...it makes a difference!
As I departed the auditorium that day, I carried some important tools with me that Tooty handed off...respect, courage, kindness, patience, honor, hard work and more. Building blocks of character. They made me who I am today and hopefully, made some impressions on many students who walked through my door over the years.
Building blocks of life = a strong foundation. Due to that...one day closer, one day stronger. I can do Lap Band! Have a good day!

They Impacted My Life

Somehow, through the halls of Junior High School, it became appearant to me that I would be a teacher. Why? I'm not sure. There was Mrs. Yancy (6th grade) who couldn't keep her left bra strap up on her shoulder. Her continuous motion of reaching across to reset that strap drove me crazy! 7th grade, Mrs. Kitchens...Social Studies. She knew her stuff, held my attention and actually taught me some stuff.
As I reflect today, however, two dynamic individuals made wide treadmarks on my life. For some reason through third grade, I hated school, was fearful of 'them' and wished to be at home, on the farm. But when I entered fourth grade, a blessing walked into my life. It was Mrs. Brode. She was elegant, kind, patient and so very nurturing. Somehow she knew how to warm your heart and enable you to engage at peace. I never feared her, her classroom or her assignments. It was just a safe harbor for me every morning of the fourth grade year. She impacted my young life and earned my love.
Second tremendous teacher (and I've written of her in the past) was Mrs. Mabel Legg, Senior English at LaVega High School. She was LaVega High School. She stood perhaps 5'4", slightly rounded shoulders, gray hair pulled back, loosely, and she appeared as gentle and kind as my grama Davis. Her thin, wire rim glasses hugged her face and her pale blue sweater graced her shoulders. She was slight in frame and moved gently about the classroom. She had a Teacher's Edition, but it was just for looks! Mrs. Legg had that entire text book memorized. Simply amazing and truly something to witness as we moved through our Literature book.
Those two teachers planted the vision within me to become an educator. Notice I said 'educator'. I believe the 'best' teachers in the world were/are those who are educating the whole child. They are not simply teaching a lesson for the day to earn one more dollar..they are teacher, counselor, surrogate parent, friend, safety and so much more to the student. I'm speaking especially about the K-8 grade level.
Once I entered the 'realm' of the classroom, I had a personal mission to impact childrens' lives. Many students arrived on campus all together and 'with it' for the day. They came from solid homes, sound parents and a life that enriched them at different levels. Those kiddos were energized and could be strong assistants in a classroom, creating a dynamic climate and culture for the period. We were in 'learning mode'.
Other students arrived at the door in bits and pieces, tired, hair needing a good wash, scruffy looking in their clothes and totally confused about life in general. Those were the students who needed a safe harbor to land in once a day. That was one of my most important goals as a classroom teacher. Create an inviting environment, engage in learning and share some smiles throughout.
They say if you hear from one student throughout life that says 'thank you' for being my teacher...you have experienced success. I often wondered about that until the day Karen Donnelly walked into my office at Connally Jr. High.
As I lifted my eyes from my desktop to see if someone had crept in behind me, I was somewhat startled. There was this beautiful young lady, standing with a sweet smile across her lips. Her blue eyes twinkled and she lifted a finger as she pointed at me saying, "you don't remember me, do you Coach Freedman? You were always so bad at names!" Well, that was true. But, there was something about her and the voice.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightening flew across my gray matter. B A M!! I said, very cautiously, "Karen Donnelly? Is that you?" She shook her head and the smile broadened as she bent over to hug my neck. I was completely in shock and awe. Had she come to 'do me in' or what?
Karen played basketball for me and ran track...7th/8th grade. She ran the 880 which was two laps around the track. I put her through challenging workouts daily, she had to meet certain times at various points of her runs. But, she was a strong minded gal. One day she didn't care for her workout and walked to middle of the football field to fall face down kicking and flailing arms as she cried/screamed I hate track.
Calmly... I walked towards her and began to encourage her to (save her life) stand up, get control and go on to the dressing room. Her workout was over before it started that day. With hesitance she went, frequently throwing glances back over her shoulder at me and the other coaches running workouts from the starting line.
That weekend, she made her move for retaliation. We were at Gatesville HS, Junior High Track Meet. Karen was an eighth grader. I had her warmed up and primed...reminded her to be on her toes and get in the right 'heat' as they called them out. There she stood, on the football field, a few yards back from the starting line. Where was I? I was leaning on the fence down at the final turn with stop watch in hand. I timed my kids as they ran their heats to know where we were.
I heard, "Runners to your marrrrrrrkkkkkkkkkk, Readdddyyyyyy, BAMMMM" and they were off. It was a flying first 220 around the first curve and on to the final curve. There I stood in disbelief. Karen Donnelly was flying...awesome...great time...big 'ol smile on her face as shouted, "See, Coach, I told you how good I was, you shoulda listened at practice." She threw her hand up and waved at me and I smiled awaiting her second turn around that final curve. As she waved the second time, I shouted, "great job, be sure and tell them you are an 8th grader though, you're in the 7th GRADE HEAT!!"
As she slowed and almost stumbled, I added...."And, Karen, finish the race...do not stop!!!" She finished, she had great dislike for me for a couple of weeks and finally, her parents relocated. Bye-bye!
Five years later, there she stood. Finally I said, "what brings you here Karen? We didn't always agree, did we?" She smiled and replied in a somewhat humble tone of voice, "No, I threw tantrums and didn't always listen. But, we left here and moved to Spring, Texas. I ran track there, Coach, and I have a scholarship to college now." I was elated to hear that...before I could respond, she added, "I've come back to say Thank You. You were tough on me...but because of you, I was successful." Those were tremendous comments and compliments. She was the first of three throughout my career to acknowledge "I made a difference."
At retirement, they made a special Book of Memories. I'm not sure about you, but I always wondered after everything, how'd I do? One of the Assistant Principal's in the district wrote the following to me:
"Pat - Best, best wishes for a grrreatt retirement! I'm sure you will begin a new career (doing something) because it's hard to keep you off of the track and not giving something a 100% whether it's a job, a cause, a service, etc. You always do a good job at whatever you do - your people skills are sincere and very strong, as well. Character Ed. is a valuable tool in education and thanks to you, it is a strong program among us!
Thanks for all of these years!" Love, MD
I had arrived. I'd been there, done that and perhaps gave it 'my bestest shot'! There were other kind remarks, but those individuals were sincere folks...not game players. I tried. I loved it. I earned the 'formula' and I changed directions.
Backgrounds, family experiences, friends and life experiences enable us to travel our destinations. Some are done well and some, perhaps we could have done a little better.
I'm one day closer to surgery. One day closer to Lap Band. One day closer to serious life change. One day closer to a new phase of my life.
Perhaps in late January, I'll be reflecting upon the experience of surgery. But, through it all, when I pause and let my mind roam, I find niches of my past that bring me back to a complete 5'8" and allow me to go again.
I hope someone in your life made a tremendous impact on you. More so, I hope you have told someone 'thank you' for caring. It's never too late to make a 'mark' on someone's day. Think about it...what will you say?