Reminiscence # 9-Only 1067 to go: "Box the End"
In the musical comedy The King And I , Anna sings:
"It's a very ancient saying,
But a true and honest thought,
That if you become a teacher,
By your pupils you'll be taught."
I've already admitted that I was the freshmen football coach in the fall of '62. I'm not sure of the wisdom of identifying a player as "favorite", but judging by the fact that he was elected class president in his senior year, apparently he was the favorite of many. I'm referring to John Rowan.
Forty-nine years have faded my memory about that freshmen team and season, but, if I recall correctly, John was a co-captain and the defensive left-end. This "reminiscence", however, is not about praising John. Rather, it's about an incident, and how I learned a little bit more about teaching.
The learning-point started at our best-be-forgotten game against Gordon Tech, at that time a real powerhouse in the Catholic League. A problem that we had...one of many...was that our opponents were picking up huge gains running around John's side of the field. Each time John came off the field, I would go up to John and say, "John, Box the end!" Each time John assured me that he was "boxing the end". For those who don't understand the terminology, boxing-the-end was a phrase used to describe the path that the defensive end should take after the ball was snapped. I don't know if the terminology or technique is still used. Anyway, we lost. (Never mind what the score was; it's not pertinent to the story.)
Toward the end of John's senior year, he and I were standing watching an Ignatius baseball game when we got to talking about the freshmen football season. John told me that each time I'd implore him to "box the end", he'd go back on to the field, and, at the snap of the ball, he'd run up to the opposing end and punch him. Finally, he asked one of the other players what boxing-the-end meant. In fairness to John, I really don't think that it would have had much of an impact on the outcome if he had known the true meaning at the beginning of the game. I do wonder what the opposing end thought each time this guy ran up to him and punched him.
Nonetheless, from that time on, I came to realize that "words" don't necessarily mean the same thing to everybody. Now, when I teach my summer school math class to in-coming freshmen, one of the first lessons is a vocabulary list of math terms. I don't want them "boxing the end."
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Class of 1967
Blog #8--(Only 1068 to go!): The Class of '67
It's not uncommon for alumni to meet regularly with members of their graduating class, usually consisting of friends they had when they were students. There is one class that I find quite unique. From the title of this reflection, you'd probably guessed that it's the class of '67.
While they were students at Saint Ignatius, they had their share of successes and also “suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” like most other classes. What sets them apart, and makes them a favorite of mine, is what they’ve done in the last 15 years.
A sizeable subset (math speak) from the class of 1967 has regular gatherings, and the “guest list” is only limited only by class members whose email addresses or phone numbers they have. In February, 2010, they were the first alumni class to meet at the Fornelli Alumni Hall for a pizza dinner, followed by watching an Ignatius basketball game. They were so taken with the room that they decided to chip in for furniture and other accessories to make the room even nicer. To that end, they intend to have a BBQ cook-out in spring
Last year, they attended the Saint Ignatius Golf Outing as group, went to a White Sox baseball game, and saw racing at Hawthorne Race , during which the 7th race was named in their honor.
Besides planning to buy furniture for the alumni room, they sponsored one of their classmates, Gus Mauro, in a 30 mile bike ride, contributing $3000 to the school’s financial aid program. For the record, their purpose is not fund-raising. The main thrust is to get together, maintain their friendships and catch up with how each one is doing. Even class members who live far away, keep in touch via email (of course).
Not every idea works. Since each of the men turned "60" (Yikes!!!) a year ago, one idea was to have a group birthday party. I thought it was a great idea, but it didn’t get off the ground. That didn't dampen the spirit of these loyal Ignatians. While, more often than not, the idea for the gatherings starts with Joe "I've never had a thought that I haven't acted on." Fisher , that's not always the case, and everyone contributes to the success of the events with their attendance and ideas.
The "efficient cause" (Is that one of St. Thomas Aquinas' "causes"?) is Marc Petrone, who sends out the notices for each event via email (of course).
So, in closing, I say: Keep going, guys! You’re doing great.If there are any other members of the class of '67 that want to be a part of this group, let me or Sean Maccready know. We'll get your name to Marc.
It's not uncommon for alumni to meet regularly with members of their graduating class, usually consisting of friends they had when they were students. There is one class that I find quite unique. From the title of this reflection, you'd probably guessed that it's the class of '67.
While they were students at Saint Ignatius, they had their share of successes and also “suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” like most other classes. What sets them apart, and makes them a favorite of mine, is what they’ve done in the last 15 years.
A sizeable subset (math speak) from the class of 1967 has regular gatherings, and the “guest list” is only limited only by class members whose email addresses or phone numbers they have. In February, 2010, they were the first alumni class to meet at the Fornelli Alumni Hall for a pizza dinner, followed by watching an Ignatius basketball game. They were so taken with the room that they decided to chip in for furniture and other accessories to make the room even nicer. To that end, they intend to have a BBQ cook-out in spring
Last year, they attended the Saint Ignatius Golf Outing as group, went to a White Sox baseball game, and saw racing at Hawthorne Race , during which the 7th race was named in their honor.
Besides planning to buy furniture for the alumni room, they sponsored one of their classmates, Gus Mauro, in a 30 mile bike ride, contributing $3000 to the school’s financial aid program. For the record, their purpose is not fund-raising. The main thrust is to get together, maintain their friendships and catch up with how each one is doing. Even class members who live far away, keep in touch via email (of course).
Not every idea works. Since each of the men turned "60" (Yikes!!!) a year ago, one idea was to have a group birthday party. I thought it was a great idea, but it didn’t get off the ground. That didn't dampen the spirit of these loyal Ignatians. While, more often than not, the idea for the gatherings starts with Joe "I've never had a thought that I haven't acted on." Fisher , that's not always the case, and everyone contributes to the success of the events with their attendance and ideas.
The "efficient cause" (Is that one of St. Thomas Aquinas' "causes"?) is Marc Petrone, who sends out the notices for each event via email (of course).
So, in closing, I say: Keep going, guys! You’re doing great.If there are any other members of the class of '67 that want to be a part of this group, let me or Sean Maccready know. We'll get your name to Marc.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
My Good Fortune
Blog #7--(Only 1069 to go!): My Good Fortune This reflection is prompted by a very nice note that I received from a friend, who happens also to be the mother of a former student of mine. Her note reminded me of how fortunate I've been to spend my life teaching at Saint Ignatius.
The story of how I came to teach at Saint Ignatius High School (as it was known then) isn't particularly interesting to anyone except me, but I'd have to say that it was the result of many coincidences and much good fortune. I didn't even know that there was a Saint Ignatius High School until just before I signed the contract. Being a north-sider, the only "Saint Ignatius" that I was aware of was the parish near Devon and Sheridan.
I have often said that if you can't teach at Saint Ignatius, you can't teach. The truth is that I've never taught at any other high school, so that's just speculation on my part. More than a few teachers from other schools have chided me, making the point that anyone can teach "smart" kids. I KNOW!!! AIN'T IT GREAT?
But I digress (yet again). To me, what makes Ignatius a great place to work is the quality of the people with whom I have come in contact. This includes students, parents, colleagues, administrators and staff. My joy and satisfaction wasn’t tied to working with “smart kids”. It was linked to the support of those around me. At Ignatius, I received that support as well as assistance, friendship, counsel and even the "benefit of the doubt" when things didn‘t go as planned.
When Frank Raispis and I formulated a list of "clichés to live by”, rule #1 was, “View everyone’s actions in the best possible light.” Over my soon-to-be 50 year involvement with Saint Ignatius, the students have been respectful and the parents generally appreciative. Even when I fell short, most parents seemed to accept the fact that I was giving my best effort. In that time, I don’t think that I had even a dozen “uncom-fortable” encounters, and about half of those I felt were justified. It is true that not everyone has the same agenda, so, while I felt “innocent”, it was easy to understand the parent’s discontent. At parent conferences, I always felt that I was meeting with a friend; that’s a good feeling when you’re working with someone else’s child.
To sum up: Thank you, one-and-all.
The story of how I came to teach at Saint Ignatius High School (as it was known then) isn't particularly interesting to anyone except me, but I'd have to say that it was the result of many coincidences and much good fortune. I didn't even know that there was a Saint Ignatius High School until just before I signed the contract. Being a north-sider, the only "Saint Ignatius" that I was aware of was the parish near Devon and Sheridan.
I have often said that if you can't teach at Saint Ignatius, you can't teach. The truth is that I've never taught at any other high school, so that's just speculation on my part. More than a few teachers from other schools have chided me, making the point that anyone can teach "smart" kids. I KNOW!!! AIN'T IT GREAT?
But I digress (yet again). To me, what makes Ignatius a great place to work is the quality of the people with whom I have come in contact. This includes students, parents, colleagues, administrators and staff. My joy and satisfaction wasn’t tied to working with “smart kids”. It was linked to the support of those around me. At Ignatius, I received that support as well as assistance, friendship, counsel and even the "benefit of the doubt" when things didn‘t go as planned.
When Frank Raispis and I formulated a list of "clichés to live by”, rule #1 was, “View everyone’s actions in the best possible light.” Over my soon-to-be 50 year involvement with Saint Ignatius, the students have been respectful and the parents generally appreciative. Even when I fell short, most parents seemed to accept the fact that I was giving my best effort. In that time, I don’t think that I had even a dozen “uncom-fortable” encounters, and about half of those I felt were justified. It is true that not everyone has the same agenda, so, while I felt “innocent”, it was easy to understand the parent’s discontent. At parent conferences, I always felt that I was meeting with a friend; that’s a good feeling when you’re working with someone else’s child.
To sum up: Thank you, one-and-all.
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