Dear Mr. Reidy,
I think if I had the time and decent WiFi, I might be able to check the CHS website and find your email… but this is what I have for now.
I always enjoyed going to your classes. My friends and I still laugh at the memories we shared in your classroom.. The time you announced a foul ke whole class and then realized I didn’t have my shoes on. The time I yelled “FIRE!!!” because.. well.. there was a fire and you just looked up from your desk and then carried on with whatever it was you were helping a student with.
Our class shared many laughs and frustrations. There are plenty of times that frustration brought me to tears and I’m sure that my teenage mouth said some not-so-nice things about you.
You were very stern, but you were also a very understanding teacher. You almost always took the time to answer my endless amount of questions, giving me the chance to understand. But every once in a while, you told me to figure it out for myself.
I needed that. I needed to learn how to let go of hurt feelings (because as a 15-18 year old, the world clearly revolved around me), I needed to learn how to figure things out for myself, I needed to realize that sometimes I just can’t have all of the answers.
Of course, those weren’t things I realized you were teaching me.. but you were.
And I am so grateful!
This month, I have been in Lesotho. It’s a small country landlocked inside of South Africa. I’m on a mission trip called the World Race which goes to 11 countries in 11 months. This is Month 7.
This month my team and I have been serving at a high school for “rejects”. It was started in 1992 by a woman named Esther for girls who had gotten pregnant (because they were kicked out of regular school). Soon after that, Esther realized that there was a need for boys who have also been “rejected”.
Currently, the majority of students that attend this school were either kicked out for having children, poor behavior, or drugs.
I’ve been teaching math and science. If I said it was easy, I would be lying. If I said it wasn’t worth it, I would also be lying.
Where do you come into the picture? Ionic bonds! I couldn’t remember everything you taught but, after a few minutes in their old tattered textbook, I remembered enough to teach.
I was impressed at how much I had remembered and how interested I still was in the material. It was the small things that brought me back to your classroom like writing e- and drawing atoms. Those little things brought back big memories and reminded me of the many things you taught me.
And that’s what I wanted to share with you: wherever you are, I want you to know that you have made a huge impact in my life and so many others.
The way you teach and the impact you have on your students gives them the desire to work hard and make you proud.
That’s why I enjoyed going to your class. It wasn’t always enjoyable, but it always stretched me.
I pray that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you know that there is a God who loves you, who created you with a purpose, and wants to continue using you to mold lives. I pray that you see God’s glory in His creation all around you. I pray that you feel His love and listen to the still small voice leading you. You make a difference.
May God bless you Mr. Reidy,
Marissa Anderson
Class of 2012
