The Fruits of Our Labor!

Most people who go into the profession of education do so because they love kids. They also share some fundamental beliefs about the human condition. They believe that people can change for the better. They believe in the infinite potential of children. They believe that learning about the past can improve the future. They believe that children who have acquired solid information about how to learn can take us quantum leaps into a better future. Educators are the harbingers of hope and include many of the last "hold outs" of idealism. Sometimes this vision of hope becomes dulled by dispassionate kids, uncooperative parents, and the world gone amuck. Very often educators never know of the good that they do. They never see the fruits of their labor because sometimes the benefits that they have inspired do not come to fruition for many years. Unless they happen to re-unite with former students many years after teaching them, educators often wonder if their labor matters at all. In recent weeks, the educators at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel have had two wonderful occasions to "see" the fruits of their labor of love and, both of those occasions were very, very good!
On April 21, 2010, our high school celebrated our fiftieth anniversary at a dinner celebration with several hundred people in attendance. There were alumni there from most classes including the very first class of 1963. There were current and former faculty members and parents from various eras at the event. There were current and former school and parish leaders, too, and as you can imagine, stories were being swapped for hours on end. The room was filled with chatter and laughter. Most of all, the room was filled with gratitude. As we honored representatives of each group--pastors, teachers, parents, students, Board members--each took their turn to give tribute to what our small school did for them. Those stories resonated an important theme--
Mt. Carmel High School made a difference in so many lives because excellent teachers gave their best to their students who deserved nothing less. Not surprisingly, no one mentioned the bricks and mortar of the place. They mentioned how much being challenged to excellence meant to them, how much being cared for mattered, and how much they learned about self, life, and faith as well as the world. It was and is a wonderful school--a small school that makes a big difference in the lives of people!
The second occasion that showcased how our former students were doing out in the world was Alumni Night at our recent Festival. Friday night of the Festival is always the night that former students gather to share their recent accomplishments,introduce their new heart throbs, and show off their beautiful children. This Festival was a banner year--both in the number of alums attending (over 200!) and their stories. Several recent college grads returned to get a much deserved hug of congratulations--There were teachers, a P.A., several nurses, an engineer and a former high school "technology kid" who works with and helps invent the gadgets at CNN. There were tales of law school, graduate degrees, and life in New York City. In the midst of these stories were the stories of weddings,new babies, and the perennial sentence starter--"Do you remember...?" And the answer from the many current and former faculty there was always, "Of course we do!" The bonds of relationships at a small school are powerful and often span the decades.
I am a firm believer that given time and nurturing, all kids eventually grow up in the sense of reaching maturity and developing the wisdom to make good choices. It is so wonderful to be in a place like Mt. Carmel where seeing this process from beginning to end is a frequent reality. There is no doubt that teaching is a craft, a profession and hard work. It takes long hours and it sometimes breaks your heart. But, it is also true that, though teaching is labor, it is a labor of love. Seeing the fruits of that labor--adults who are people of kindness, integrity, faith, and successful as well--is a joy!