February 6, 2017 at 7:07 p.m.
Anderson is a teacher to treasure
Editorial
Do they still make them like Bob Anderson these days?
We sure hope so.
About 10 days ago, there was something of an Anderson love fest at Redkey Elementary School. No one could ask for a more meaningful embrace from a community.
Then again, the embrace was completely deserved.
Robert Anderson had been principal of Redkey Elementary. He’d also been principal of Redkey High School. And he was the first dean of students at Jay County High School.
By any standard, that would be a career in education worth emulating.
But it’s Bob Anderson in retirement that most impresses.
He could be dozing on the sofa or sorting through a stamp collection or planning a round of golf. Instead, every week, he visits Redkey Elementary School.
Every week, he’s transformed from “Mr. Anderson,” a figure of authority and sometimes fearsome discipline, into plain old “Bob,” the grandfatherly figure kids at that school have come to love.
He doesn’t have to do this, but he keeps on doing it.
“I love standing in the hallway and hearing the kids go by and say, ‘Hi Bob! Hi Bob! Hi Bob!’” he said the other day.
But that love is mutual. The kids delight in it.
Teaching is one tough job, and sometimes the rewards can be elusive. But Bob Anderson knows where to find them.
It’s been politically fashionable for far too long to belittle teachers. “Those who can’t do, teach” has been a wise guy, smart aleck comment for more than a generation.
But like most wisecracks, that one misses the point.
It takes a special patience to be a teacher. The chore requires extraordinary skills when it comes to communication, organization and — yes — discipline.
For every five people who ever thought about teaching, our guess is that just one made an impact in the classroom. It is simply that tough a job.
So when you come across a Bob Anderson — or his fellow Redkey principal Jay Milhollin, another one worth treasuring — there’s a reason to celebrate.
There’s a reason for the community to offer an embrace. And there’s reason for all of us to hope they’re still making teachers like this today. — J.R.
We sure hope so.
About 10 days ago, there was something of an Anderson love fest at Redkey Elementary School. No one could ask for a more meaningful embrace from a community.
Then again, the embrace was completely deserved.
Robert Anderson had been principal of Redkey Elementary. He’d also been principal of Redkey High School. And he was the first dean of students at Jay County High School.
By any standard, that would be a career in education worth emulating.
But it’s Bob Anderson in retirement that most impresses.
He could be dozing on the sofa or sorting through a stamp collection or planning a round of golf. Instead, every week, he visits Redkey Elementary School.
Every week, he’s transformed from “Mr. Anderson,” a figure of authority and sometimes fearsome discipline, into plain old “Bob,” the grandfatherly figure kids at that school have come to love.
He doesn’t have to do this, but he keeps on doing it.
“I love standing in the hallway and hearing the kids go by and say, ‘Hi Bob! Hi Bob! Hi Bob!’” he said the other day.
But that love is mutual. The kids delight in it.
Teaching is one tough job, and sometimes the rewards can be elusive. But Bob Anderson knows where to find them.
It’s been politically fashionable for far too long to belittle teachers. “Those who can’t do, teach” has been a wise guy, smart aleck comment for more than a generation.
But like most wisecracks, that one misses the point.
It takes a special patience to be a teacher. The chore requires extraordinary skills when it comes to communication, organization and — yes — discipline.
For every five people who ever thought about teaching, our guess is that just one made an impact in the classroom. It is simply that tough a job.
So when you come across a Bob Anderson — or his fellow Redkey principal Jay Milhollin, another one worth treasuring — there’s a reason to celebrate.
There’s a reason for the community to offer an embrace. And there’s reason for all of us to hope they’re still making teachers like this today. — J.R.
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