Georges Seurat \u201cSunday on La Grande Jatte\u201d hung above his chalkboard<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAs a teacher, I sometimes try to see<\/em> myself in my students. Truth be told, my perception of high school Sara is probably quite different from that of my teachers, friends, classmates, and family. I don\u2019t remember standing out, but my little sister, who visited me one day, said it was like walking in the hallways with a celebrity – all smiles and hugs. <\/p>\n\n\n\nI do remember being a bit of a goody-two shoes. I would walk into Mr. Schusterbauer\u2019s class, wondering what outrageous \u201cFight the man!\u201d thing he would say next. Of course, as a high school girl in the nineties, the idea of \u201cfighting the man\u201d was completely lost on me. I couldn\u2019t even stand up to my parents. Retrospectively, I wish I was more \u201cwoke\u201d to appreciate what Mr. Schusterbauer was trying to accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though I can\u2019t remember a specific example, I do remember Mr. Schusterbauer asking us questions that pushed boundaries and emboldened us to really<\/em> think. I remember wanting to make him proud – I would take so many notes, and listen quite earnestly. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAs I write this, I realize that I am no Mr. Schusterbauer – and that makes me kind of sad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, I remember the thing I am most grateful for learning in Mr. Schusterbauer\u2019s class\u2026. Never apologize. Amidst the flying chalk to emphasize a point (or, more likely, to get our attention), Mr. Schusterbauer, for all his brashness and rebellion, never apologized for being exactly who he is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not everyone was a fan – and he would remind us that not everyone needed to be. He was unapologetically human and real – and would talk to us like we were people, not kids. He didn\u2019t care about grades, and he encouraged us to advocate for ourselves. (I guess, maybe I am a little bit like Mr. Schusterbauer, after all.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years later, when I was teaching in Kansas – Mr. Schusterbauer accepted my friend request on Facebook, and for a little while, we were able to stay in touch.\u00a0 In 2009, he retired from teaching, after teaching 30 years at Mercy High School in Farmington.\u00a0 I was home for the summer and was able to attend the ceremony. He graciously welcomed us to his retirement party at Dick O\u2019Dowd\u2019s in Birmingham, where he occasionally would serve as a bartender\/host on warm, summer evenings.\u00a0 He deleted his Facebook account leading up to the 2012 presidential election – and has kept a low-profile ever since.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are a few nuggets of wisdom he shared with me, proving that a teacher\u2019s influence never ends: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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