The Power of a Teacher

I first met Chris Northrup when I was considering becoming a teacher. I subbed for her aides a few times in her special ed classroom at Prairie Elementary in Urbana and was impressed by her skills as a teacher in the severely/profoundly handicapped class.

Fast forward five years or so, and she transferred over to Yankee Ridge where I had been teaching a couple of years. I had a special needs child in my class, and Chris helped me wade through the hoops to get the child some help, hoops her predecessor had not wanted to tackle. We worked together for three or four years and she was top notch, a real asset to the school, and a help to the children. She also became a very dear friend.

Chris left Yankee Ridge in 2004 to become a principal in Mahomet and is now that school district's Special Education Director.

Every teacher has their 'beginning," that reason, that incident or experience, that inspired them to become a teacher. I did not know Chris's until she wrote this tribute this morning on her Facebook page. It speaks to the power a teacher, just one person, can have for good.

A great man and teacher, Kent LeFever, passed away this week. It's taken me several days to process because of the impact he has had on so many of his students. His impact on me was profound and lifelong. It did not stem from school but rather his second job, as the manager of the Bement Pool. Mr. LeFever needed a lifeguard for some folks from the nursing home who wanted to swim, before the pool opened, a few days a week. He said these were special people, they would look and act different but he really wanted them to swim and said he thought I was mature enough to handle the job. I said yes, not really understanding. The folks that came to swim were young, too young for the nursing home. They had multiple physical and cognitive disabilities and were non-verbal. I was a bit unsure but Mr. LeFever put his hand on my shoulder, walked me forward and said "let's go welcome them". Throughout that summer, I guarded and sometimes assisted in the water when they came. I forged a wonderful friendship with a young man named Charlie, who could not talk, but his eyes told me everything I needed to know. Charlie and I had a lot of great laughs over two summers at the pool, often with Mr. LeFever laughing right along with us. I owe Kent Lefever, a great teacher and an even better human being, for showing me the path I'm on today. It was through his guidance and support that I went on to coach Special Olympics and became a special educator teacher. Thanks, Mr. LeFever, for your confidence in me, all those summer pep talks at the pool, for helping me find a great friend in Charlie, and most of all, for starting me down a path I never even knew existed but was the just right one for me. You may be gone but the many ways you added to and changed the world, one small bit at a time, ensures your impact will be everlasting. I wish your family peace and comfort in their memories and for you.... Godspeed!