I Gotta Say It Was A Good Day…

Averill Park Education Foundation Gala | November 2017

A few years ago I had the great honor of begin recognized by the Averill Park Education Foundation for my contributions to the Averill Park Central School District over the last (at that time) 18 years. I feel like my speech from that night will give you a clear indication of how amazing it is to work where I work. Enjoy!

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When I graduated from the University at Albany 18 years ago I had one dream; I wanted to be a middle school teacher.  See, teaching high school wasn’t really an option for me.  At 22, my limited experience had shown I needed to first look like I was in high school before I could teach high school. In truth, middle school and I go together like hormones and acne- we’re a perfect match.

The middle school teachers here know that when you tell people you’re a middle school teacher you usually get one of a few reactions.  

• Reaction one: “Oh.”  It’s a sort of dumbfounded, “I’m-not-sure-what-to-say-to-you-next” response.  

• Reaction two: “Why?”, short for, “Why-would-you-voluntarily-subject-yourself-to-that?!” 

• The third and most common reaction? “I would never!”,  people who are basically saying, “You crazy, Foo!”

I was fortunate to have three middle school job offers coming out of college.  The first was the middle school I went to, the second was one of the larger suburban council schools which I’ll talk more about in a second, and the third was Algonquin.   

At the larger suburban school, the interview was a triathlon of sorts.  After entering the office I was escorted to a room with a pen, paper, and prompt.  There I was asked to produce a writing piece on political and economic systems.  I was then escorted to a second room where I sat at the end of an obscenely long boardroom table and answered 7 specific, content-based and pedagogical questions from 7 different people in quick succession.  For the final leg, I was ushered to the middle school to interview again, this time with a different interview team following the same, thorough procedure. 

Days later I came to Algonquin for my interview.  I remember anticipating the next writing prompt, the firing squad of questions to determine if I had all my educational acronyms memorized.  I remember I had spiced up my teaching portfolio, done a mock interview with a few teacher friends, and even bought a new suit that still looked like I was wearing my dad’s.  I.  Was.  Ready.

My name was called and I was brought into then principal Mike Purdy’s office.  It was me, Mike, and Denis Sibson, who was a sixth-grade social studies teacher at the time, sitting around Mike Purdy’s desk.  Mike said, “How’s it going?”, flashed his patented Purdy smile, and we were off.  

I don’t remember everything that was said in there that day but I do remember that we didn't talk about AYP or NCLB and neither one of them ever asked to see my portfolio.  We just talked.  It felt like friends sharing what we were passionate about- teaching and learning.   As I drove home from the interview that afternoon, my mind was made up: that’s where I want to be. I hope they call! I am so grateful you did.  

Tonight, I am overwhelmed.  I don’t know how to thank all the people that have guided, supported, and inspired me to become the teacher and person I am today, people like my parents who make me feel like the world’s greatest teacher and son every day, and Kathryn, my girlfriend, who is easily the best thing that’s ever happened to me

People like Linda Margitan, Patty Bligh, Ted Mosher, Denis Sibson, Jodi Beebie, Sharon Conroy and a whole host of others who helped me to understand what it means to do things “The Algonquin Way”, a phrase synonymous with excellence for the last 50 years, people like Mike Speirs, Karen McGuire Chrissy Perrotta, Eric Weidman and others who have pushed me to become a better historian, something that doesn’t come naturally to me.  People like Mike Cavotta, who has shown me the value of hard work and personal sacrifice and who over time has become one of my best friends.  People like Lynn Burdick, Sharon Lawrence, Mike Purdy, Steve Beebie, Jim Franchini and others who guided and supported me and all the crazy ideas I’ve had, ideas like can I wear a glove on my hand and rework our Mesopotamia Unit into a detective’s mystery called the M files? Can I hold a singing competition for middle school kids, play the role of Ryan Seacrest, and call it “Algonquin Idol”? Can I buy a Wiimote to make a homemade Smartboard for my classroom? Can I host a rap concert and dance showcase as a fundraiser for Best Buddies and Call it 49 Cent and Friends?  At every turn, the answer has been almost always been yes.  

I would like to thank the Averill Park Education Foundation not only for this honor but for all the support you continue to give to our students.  Your generosity has provided me with Chromebooks for my classroom and, new this year, a Google Expeditions VR kit so that students throughout our district can visit places all over the world.  Your work directly impacts our kids every day and enables us to engage our them in ways we wouldn’t otherwise be able to. 

I’d also like to thank and congratulate my principal, friend, and co-honoree tonight, Rob Messia.  Rob, you are brilliant, easily one of the best thinkers I’ve ever met.  You have an uncanny ability to see the end before most of us even know where to look and, more importantly, to empower us to get there.  One of my favorite phrases I can hear you say is, “What do you think, Anderson?” because I know the preceding words are usually a really fun project or another idea to pursue.  Thank you for trusting me, Rob, for pushing me to take risks, and for challenging me every day.  Algonquin Middle School and the Averill Park Central School District are lucky to have you.  It’s an honor to share this night with you but make no mistake- this night belongs to you.  

Lastly, and most importantly, I’d like to thank my students.  Over time they have both spoiled and inspired, humbled, and motivated me to be my very best.  I continue to be fueled every day by their energy, inquisitiveness, smiles, and gratitude.  

I’d love to say I knew what I was getting into when I took this job 18 years ago, that I knew Algonquin Middle School was- and still is- the best middle school in the Capital Region if not the country, that Averill Park would become my second home, that some of the happiest times I’ve had on this Earth would take place here, but I didn’t.  All I know is that every day I think to myself how grateful I am not only to do what I love but to do what I love here. Thank you again… for everything.