I Love this Man!

I like most of my co-workers.  However, there are a special few that are wonderful. 

• The Language Arts teacher who has been around so long…she remembers both my mother and father – and my mother’s been dead since 1983.  This woman is a wonderful teacher: demanding performance and good behavior from her students, while remaining compassionate and encouraging.
• The ESOL Specialist.  She is everyone’s friend.  If you need to vent – she’s your lady.  She can give you a pat on the back and a smile and turn your day around.
• The art teacher.  Oh my goodness gracious, what I would have given to have HER for an art teacher when I was in school!  She gets the students to turn out the MOST AMAZING pieces of work.  They ALL shine!  And hers is the brightest light.
• The social studies teacher who never says no.  He does his level best to help out each and every one of us every single day.
• The Special Ed teacher who gives of herself tirelessly to one of the most challenging groups of students in the school each and every day.  She is never absent – her students are  among the most sensitive to change.  And she is TOUGH.  No molly-coddling just becuase they have challenges.  She demands – and gets – the best that they can give.

And there are more wonderful and caring teachers, secretaries and custodians.  We have such a challenging population to work with, it is amazing that so many talented and caring individuals are attracted to this school.  There are so many more schools with "easier" populations to teach. 

But there is one man that stands out head and shoulders above the crowd.  I absolutely adore him.  He is the best thing since sliced bread.  He is a young man – late 20s/early 30s.  He was born in Liberia.  He spent some time in Spain when he was in school, so he speaks Spanish quite well.  For diary purposes, I’ll call him Afrika.

Afrika is one of the most naturally giving and loving people I have ever seen.  He is quiet and gentle…yet his students are NEVER out of control.  And the work they turn out is right on the money.

His generosity…he brings his lunch every day and NEVER fails to offer me half.  He usually keeps bottles of water in his room.  I asked him for a bottle the other day and he was out.  Every day since then he has brought me a bottle of water first thing in the morning.

He is very inclusive.  If two of us are talking and another teacher walks by, they are instantly invited into the conversation by Afrika.  One day he was on the phone to his mother, and I suddenly found myself talking to her!

But the thing I like best about him, is his quality of innocence.  That’s the closest I can come to namin it.  When he is unsure about the situation he is usually very quiet.  I have learned when to question him about his possible confusion…with some very charming, and often amusing, results.

Earlier this week he came up to me in the hall.  Wolfie – is it true that capital punishment is allowed at school with the parents’ permission?

What?  Capital punishment?  No, that’s not allowed.  I was grinning.

Not even with the parents’ permission, Wolfie?  I heard it was allowed.

No, Afrika.  Capital punishment is the death penalty.  CORPORAL punishment would be paddling.  I think that’s what you mean. (Although really – who could blame the parents of some of our students for considering capital punishment……..)

Really, Wolfie?  Oh!  And we both laughed.

A little later I told him I was going to the Kumquat Festival.  He looked shocked.  He looked around to see if any students were within hearing distance and whispered to me behind his hand…

Really Wolfie?  KUM – quat?  Is that for real?  It’s not nasty?

I almost split my gut laughing as I dragged him over to the nearest computer and showed him that, indeed, there is a fruit called a kumquat and I was not being unnecessarily sexual, kinky, or out of line in front of the students.  Even after I showed him the Kumquat Growers official website…..he looked doubtful.

On another day, we were talking in the hall with a teacher who has shaved his head, due to the rapidly thinning nature of said hair.  We were laughing about the pitfalls of shaving your head….and I shared a story about the time my son decided to shave his head – with my razor.  THEN my ex husband (note the EX there – this may shed some light on WHY it’s EX) talked him into using NAIR on his head to finish the job. NAIR.  On the head he had just nicked and cut up with a razor meant for women’s legs.  Think…….sliding down a razor blade into a vat of alcohol.  No – I wasn’t home when that little drama unfolded.  And yes, thank heavens, my son is now able to laugh about that fiasco.

Spurred on by my little anecdote, the other teacher told us of a friend of his who decided to use NAIR on his hair arse….and the woes he subsequently suffered.

I guess Afrika felt comfortable with all the silly stories….because he shared that HE had tried NAIR on his front parts.  (And that’s what he said – "on my front").  When we were through gasping like fish out of water in amazement, Afrika THEN said…You know, it hurts very badly when it grows back.  You’re trying to walk…and it rubs…

OH MY GOODNESS!

I could go on and on and on.  He is a book all in himself.  His open personality, generous and gentle way, smiling face, and genuine love for his students….I ADORE this man!

Back up.  I don’t mean I want to marry him, date him or have a roll in the hay with him.  I just truly love love his spirit.  He is one of the truly genuine, truly "real" people in this world.  I am just so glad that our paths have crossed, and that we call each other FRIEND.