To Mr. Lohmeier, and to Legacies

I worked in a middle school math class yesterday, one that I'd worked in a few times before. At the end of one of the periods, right as the bell rang, one of the kids said, "Mr. Hellmann, sing me a song." I didn't really think about the oddity of the request, I just tried to come up with a silly, simple song that would be enjoyable for her to hear without keeping her from getting to her next class. I soon began singing "My Dead Dog Rover," and within a few seconds she was laughing and giggling at the bluntly horrid lyrics of the song. When I was done, she said, "Thanks Mr. Hellmann. That was funny."
"Your welcome," I said. "You know, I didn't even realize it until I started singing, but that song was taught to me by one of my 8th grade teachers."
"That's cool," she said. "I'm in 8th grade."

That moment reminded me of when Mr. Lohmeier, the teacher who taught my 8th grade Life Skills class, took the time one day after school to sing all his silly songs into a stereo I'd brought from home. I was so happy to have that tape, and I listened to it often so I could memorize every song. It's been 11 years, and I still know each song by heart.

I don't think that making an impact on a person's life is like the movies, where teachers rock their students' world by ripping pages out of textbooks and giving long, drawn out monologues that leave their students (and the movie-goer) blown away at the utter depth, impact, and gravity of everything the teacher says and does. I think such scenes are rarely more than glitz and glamour. I put more trust in the day-to-day, simple, sometimes silly scenes that would never make it to the big screen, but leave a lasting image on the heart.

So, here's a toast. To Mr. Lohmeier, and to legacies.

Lyrics to "My Dead Dog Rover":
I'm looking over
my dead dog Rover
Who I ran over with my new lawnmower.
One leg is missing,
the other is gone.
The third one is scattered
all over the lawn.
No use explaining
the one remaining,
it's out on the carport floor!
Oh, I'm looking over
my dead dog Rover
who I overlooked before!