Sharing some thoughts here...
I was blessed to attend the retirement/birthday party of my favorite teacher. Fred was my debate coach. But, in the years that have passed he has become so much more to me. Yesterday someone asked, "What's the biggest thing Fred taught you?" I didn't have an answer at the time. But, after many speeches (perhaps even loving roasts), the answer was clear. Fred taught me so many things. He taught me how to see a perspective other than my own...and argue it well enough to not only convince others that it was my belief...but, also to convince myself. He taught me that most truth lies in the middle and there is rarely a right or wrong answer. He recently taught me how to place a bet on a race. He taught me to believe the best in people, myself included. He taught me to try harder...even when I was doing great things. He taught me about family and friendship.
Perhaps the biggest lesson I received in my twenty years of knowing Fred, is the importance of honesty, being genuine, and having integrity. He taught me that some the smartest people I know...drink beer, bet on horses, wear stained t-shirts and curse like sailors. People are far deeper than our initial impressions of them. Scholars can live in mansions or trailer parks. Education takes many forms as does racism. Fred makes no apologies for who he is. He owns it all. And, he in turn accepts others for how they come to the table.
Looking at a table of either recent graduates or current proteges of Fred's, it looked exactly like one would expect (if you know him). There were five young people sitting at a table. See the description of individuals below:
1-Tiny, rockabilly, blond, female with patterned skirt and Buddy Holly Glasses
2-Short, conservatively dressed, Asian, female, with long dark hair
3-Tall, skinny, white, male with glasses, wearing a graphic t-shirt
4-Tall, thin, male, of Middle Eastern descent, wearing a short sleeve sport shirt
(not in an ironic way)
(not in an ironic way)
5-Tall, large framed, male, dressed in shorts and sporting some messy hair
That table is what it's all about. The experiences they shared and the relationships they built, would not have been possible if not for their teacher. On the surface, they all look so different. They aren't. They are all trying to find their way and create their own individual identities. That table was as diverse and homogeneous, individual and collective, creative and organized, the same and different...there is no black and white. That table was everything and it's opposite...It was a reminder that labels only tell half the story.
