Two Words: Thank You

This past week I was able to reconnect with a professor I had when I was a student at the College of the Holy Cross.  I had written him an e-mail earlier in the week to thank him.  His courses inspired me to work for social justice and it is through education that I have kept that commitment.

We were able to briefly chat on the phone and I thanked him for the tremendous impact he had on my life.  We had not spoken since I graduated in May of 1996.  I chose to volunteer when I graduated and joined a program called Inner-City Teaching Corp where I learned how to be a teacher.  In the summer of 1999, a Providence College graduate joined the staff of the school where I was assigned, also a volunteer with Inner-City Teaching Corps.  She was from Vermont and taught right next door to me.  In the fall of 2000, we had our last first date ever, we got married in 2004, and moved to Vermont in 2007.

I thanked my professor for inspiring me to pursue social justice because it led me to meet My Wife, with similar passions for equity, and that gift of marriage has led to two beautiful children and a wonderful life in Vermont.  For me, in a very real way, Professor James Nickoloff put me on a path to where I am right now.

Teaching makes a difference in the lives of teachers and our students.

In our final year in Chicago, I was teaching in a high school.  One of my students was accepted to Holy Cross and I could not have been more delighted and proud.  When she told me, I insisted that she find another mentor of mine while I was there.  Kim McElaney was the Director of the Office of the College Chaplains and was a part of the Mexico Immersion Program that I was privileged to be a part of - another key moment in my social justice journey.  That student, like the rest of the Class of 2007 graduated, and at the end of that school year My Family and I moved to Vermont.

Sadly, Kim passed away 2010 and because she was incredibly important to me, I went to her funeral.  While reconnecting with many dear friends whom I had not seen since my own graduation, I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard the words, "Mr. Ricca?"  I could not imagine who that would be.  No one called me that while I was at Holy Cross.

I turned to find my former student from Chicago, the Class of 2007, with tears in her eyes.  When I asked her what she was doing here, she responded, "Mr. Ricca, you told me that when I went to Holy Cross that I had to find Kim McElaney.  Well... I did."

Teaching makes a difference in the lives of teachers and our students.

Based on the nature of education, we rarely if ever see the fruits of our efforts.  One of the goals in the MPS Action Plan is for all students to take "an active role in shaping their learning experiences and developing who they are as learners."  That cannot happen in a vacuum - it happens with the faculty, staff, and leadership in our district.  It happens in the classrooms, on our athletic fiends, in the hallways, on stage, in rehearsals, and on field trips.  It happens in real conversations.  It happens because of relationships.

This week, it was a thank you to a professor that was twenty-one years in the making.  Not twenty-one years late.  I had no idea how my life would turn out when I graduated from Holy Cross in 1996 and when I look back I can see who those people who shaped my learning experiences were; those people who helped develop me as a learner left an indelible imprint in my heart.  Thank you.