Life Changing Teachers

Today in class we were tasked with discussing the teachers that have shaped our current view on education. We were allowed to discuss both teachers with positive influence as well as negative.

My top pick could not have been easier.

I picked the principle at my elementary school, Webster, in Mesa, AZ. As far as I'm concerned, Webster was the greatest school in America and it was all to do with it's principle, Dr. Finley.

Dr. Finley had a way of hiring only the best teachers available. First years, middle aged and soon to retire teachers all had the right energy and concern for student's wellbeing. The fact that I can remember the name and face of every single teacher I had, as well as many others that roamed the halls is a testament to the environment. To help drive it in, I can only remember the names of two of my High School teachers, and even then, both of their names are stuck only due to the extreme aggravation they caused me on a near daily basis.

Webster was a Title 1 school, a title given to school with a 66% or greater population of families below the poverty line. Walking a day around the campus, you wouldn't know it. The insufficient salaries didn't phase the staff. The field trips on a budget where always exciting to the students. There was a drive of volunteer work from parents and families and no kid was without adequate school supplies, even when Dr. Finley bought the crayons out of his own pocket. Dr. Finley had a way with names and always made sure everyone felt important and welcome. He was incredibly involved with the students, spending more time in the halls then tucked away at his desk.

He developed incentive programs for students to work hard and act responsible. Once a month, any student who managed to work hard and earn approval from a teacher would have a half day recess on the field with booming music, sprinklers, popsicles  and giveaways. He organized small gatherings of students to celebrate cultural backgrounds in which he would educate us on his native culture and he brought exciting artifacts, like whale baleen from his life in Alaska. We would then tell him about our families and bring him "artifacts" from our homes. He made it a point to be able to say hello in every language that was represented in student families so he could greet every visiting member.

This is all stuff I explained to the class. Then something really strange happened. My professor called me up to the front of the class and pulled out his cell phone. He began scrolling through the contacts and settled on one in the D's. Dave, specifically, Dave Finley. He pressed the little green button below and a familiar ring was heard on speaker phone. To my extreme astonishment, Dr. Finley greeted the phone and listened to my professors explanation of the unusual daytime call.

"Dave," he said, "I've got an old student of yours here in my class named Damien who thinks you're a pretty good guy"

"Damien Hinkle?" questioned Dr. Finley.
"How are you Damien?! It's been a long time. Do you still see your friends Mercedes and Emmalee?"

He then proceeded to reminisce with me about bygone days and caught me up with what he was doing these days. He congratulated me on my career choice and told the class (via speakerphone) his reason for joining the orchestra program with the three of us friends when we were in the 4th grade, which was to try and bolster the percentage of male orchestra members, due to a prominent population of girls already in orchestra.

It felt good talking to one of the inspirations in my life today and I look forward to visiting him one of these days, degree in hand, asking for a job.

This is a recent image of Dr. Finley
that I found posted on his current
school's website.