The Good Ones

Not every member of the faculty at Bishop Fenwick High School caused me so much grief.  In fact, there were some really good ones who stood out in my mind and it wouldn't be fair if I didn't mention them on this blog.

Mr. Steve Dalton:  This religion teacher was such a gentle soul.  He once told us that we all started off as a wonderful idea in God's mind and the day we were born was the day He could no longer keep the joy of who we were from the world.  Mr. Dalton often preached God first, then family and then career.  Sadly for us, he left the school after a couple of months into my Freshman year for a new job.

Mr. Kevin McCarthy:  Some of my lowest grades ever were in his advanced math classes.  I just wasn't that good with numbers but he tried to help with plenty of after school lessons.  I never did understand algebra all that much but my grades were excellent in his more practical business math class.

Mrs. Barbara Brigante:  Since I liked science, taking chemistry seemed like it would be really cool until I discovered there was a great deal of math involved.  I didn't do well in her class either but she was always very nice and patient with her students.

Mr. Andrew Parker:  He was our young and hip religion teacher.  For one assignment, we anonymously wrote down any question we wanted to ask him.  I submitted, "What is the air speed velocity of a European swallow."  When he read my note aloud, many students thought it was a dumb question.  Mr. Parker answered, "Five...no six."  He then flung himself backwards and shouted, "Ahhhhh!"  He got my Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference and after explaining the movie to the class, some students recalled seeing it on TV and admitted it was a pretty funny question after all.  One extra credit assignment had us praying with him for two minutes after school so we would learn to make time for God during our busy day.

Mrs. Kate Hawke:  A very agreeable English teacher who encouraged my writing.  At her suggestion, she helped me submit a poem to a literary magazine that featured content from area students.

Mr. John Farley:  He often used humor and fostered teamwork during religion class which included a course called Theology of Death.  Sometimes lessons were heavy like the time he told us about a student from years ago who had been killed in a construction accident.  Other times Mr. Farley lightened the mood with interesting assignments like having us bring in a death-related song.  I chose Julie Brown's The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun.

Sr. Charlotte Wickes:  Despite encounters with authoritarian nuns, she was one of the sweetest and most soft-spoken nuns you could ever hope to meet.

Ms. Kathleen Nolan: I don't remember too much from her English class but she called me one of the nicest students she had ever taught.  Where others saw negativity in me, she saw sensitivity and goodness. 

Ms. Suzanne Bertrand:  This pleasant and outgoing religion teacher discovered I loved trivia so we agreed to a head-to-head competition of Trivial Pursuit right in class.  I lost but it was all in good fun.  She also enjoyed the original Star Trek series and I often tried to convince her to give The Next Generation a second chance.

Mrs. Eileen Gibbons:  My homeroom teacher seemed to understand that I was having trouble fitting in at the school so she treated me with patience and understanding.

Mr. Paul Downey:  His civics class was pretty laid back and he often used humor to create a wonderful learning environment.  We shared a love of Benny Hill and I wound up lending him a VCR tape of the British comedian's antics.  His son attended the school with me but he was in the group of jocks who didn't resort to bullying.  (A credit to how his father raised him.) 

I think these teachers stand out in my mind because they not only went that extra mile for their students, they created a learning environment built on mutual respect.  My high school years were less than ideal but these great educators helped make those awkward times a bit more bearable.