Frank, one of the fellows I work with each day on a small construction crew pointed out an area of inconsistency in my life yesterday.
He has noticed several times recently as I have had occasion to meet former students in the course of our work and their response is similar. “Is that you Mr. Oates? I never saw you look like that before!” Digging in the coral, tying steel, or pouring concrete has a way of presenting a person differently than a collared shirt and tie.
For the past 29 years teaching, coaching, and administrating a private Christian school in a small community, I have stressed the importance of getting an education, studying and doing homework as the formula to staying out of manual labor.
On this particular day, I greeted an eighth grader who was in my geography class last year when his father came to borrow a tool. I didn’t notice at the time, but he did look me over strangely. Later that day a fellow from many years past was pushing a stroller by our job site. I was walking toward him and said hello. From his expression, I realized he did not know who I was. Even after removing my hat and sunglasses, I still needed to give him my name before he happily greeted me and then said, “You look very different! I never saw you like this before!”
Later that day Frank kiddingly chastised me for having preached a “stay in school” message and now was scratching coral rock into a ditch. Frank is rightfully concerned about the message I am sending to my former students.
His confusion is also interferring with a tenant of his philosophy: “Drugs and alcohol are the road to construction”.
Anyway, STAY IN SCHOOL, DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
"I try to make everybody's day a little more surreal." -- Calvin of Calvin & Hobbes
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