How It Goes On

The other day I received this letter from one of my favorite former students who I taught at The San Francisco School in the 1980’s. 

 

Hi Doug! 

 

I hope you're doing well!

 

I received this from one of my professional Iist-serves (DEHPD - Diversity and Equity in Hiring and Professional Development, WA community and technical colleges) and thought of you and The San Francisco School.

 

"Education, whether public or private, is the one place we come together for a prolonged amount of time, with a shared purpose."

 

"...imagine a place where educators model what caring for people outside your immediate circle, for strangers, can look and feel like; a place where we intentionally pattern and teach behaviors and values associated with public love." 

 

This place was not imagined for me and my sisters. It was The San Francisco School. Even as we grew up with some instability in our family life, SFS and its "family" of caring teachers and staff were our constant. You and Karen were a huge part of that. Thank you! 

 

I was also lucky enough to be able to seek out and find a similar loving school community for my kids. I couldn't imagine putting them in a standard school after having experienced SFS in my own childhood. I think my kids are more joyful, caring people for it. So, the gift keeps on giving! 

 

What made reading this letter extra special was where I was when I read it—in my old Music Room in The San Francisco School! I was on break from teaching once again in my home away from home. This is the second time this year I realized my “retirement” dream of subbing for a week while my colleagues are off doing other things. In November, I subbed for Sofia while she was teaching at The Orff Institut in Salzburg and this week, I’m subbing for James while he’s on a Social Justice (remember that?) Field Trip in Alabama with the 8^th grade. 

 

Since returning from the intensive teaching in Hong Kong I loved so much, I’ve been fine going four weeks without teaching— enjoying my writing and home life of walking, cooking, playing piano and such. But always wonderful to be back with children and yet more wonderful to be with some kids I taught five years ago now (predictably) grown and matured and yet more wonderful to be in my old music room where miracle after miracle took place for over four decades. 

 

Equally wonderful to be in a gathering of people with a “shared purpose,” still “intentionally patterning and teaching behaviors and values associated with public love." And yet more wonderful because six of the current teachers were my students, some 18 teachers who I taught with are still there and most special of all, some 14 kids of kids I taught, 3 of them grandkids of teachers I taught with, are sitting in ye ole Music Room singing some of the same songs their parents sang with me. How it goes on.

 

And so happy my student found a similar school for her kids up in Washington where she lives. I know that the SF School did not corner the market on loving and caring progressive schools and of course, am happy to know there are many such schools out there. As my alum student testified, it makes a difference in nurturing the next generations of joyful, caring people. 

 

Two more days of music teaching bliss and then up to Portland to visit the grandkids, where my wife and I will offer a guest art and music class for grandson Malik’s 3^rd grade class. And his teacher? One of our SF School alum students!!!!

 

How it goes on. The gift that keeps on giving, indeed.