Community-Coalition On Drug Awareness

 A PARADIGM SHIFT 

By RICK GALE, Retired Teacher

Irvine Unified School District

20 years ago, a student of mine drove to a remote area near Saddleback Mountain in Orange County, California and ended his life.  A few days later I received a phone call from the boy's father asking me if I would do the eulogy for Rodney.  I was speechless.  I wasn't sure how to respond.  Rodney had only been in my class for a few weeks.

I told Rodney's father that I didn't think I was the right person to do the eulogy.  Rodney’s father told me that his son would often come home and talk about all the things he had learned in my class. Rodney also told his father he really respected me as a teacher.   It was then I learned how much teachers touch the lives of students without realizing it.

After reflecting on this, I knew that I wanted to do the Eulogy for Rod, his family, and friends.

Rodney's death, more than any other event in my teaching career created a paradigm shift in my thinking about what it meant to be a teacher.  Every day, I was in the classroom, I had the opportunity to be a helper, facilitator, resource person, consultant, behind-the-scene manager and counselor. 

A few months ago, I received an e-mail from a former Woodbridge H.S. student thanking me for my kindness.  

After high school, I came to you with a very serious issue I was having at home.  I was going through a very rough time and no longer could suppress what happened.  I had nowhere to turn and no clue on what to do about it.  You were the only person I could think of to turn to.

I came to you after school and you gave me a few numbers that could help me and told me if I ever needed your help to contact you.  You also told me "Don't ever let someone else take you down.  You are a strong lady." 

I have to say, the numbers you handed me and what you said saved my life. 

A few weeks after meeting with you, I was sitting alone in a room with a loaded gun, I was ready to do it and I dropped the gun.  It fell right on the card of a hotline number you had given me.  Instead of picking up the gun, I picked up the card and remembered what you said to me.

Rather than standing in front of a class and just lecturing em and testing em, be there for them and encourage them to live a balanced life.



 
"Learn some and think some and draw and paint some and sing and dance and play and work every day some."

-Robert Fulghum