Post by title1parent on Jun 12, 2011 7:22:33 GMT -5
napervillesun.suntimes.com/5828404-417/retirement-tough-lesson-for-iconic-local-teacher.html
Retirement tough lesson for iconic local teacher
By Denise Crosby dcrosby@stmedianetwork.com June 11, 2011
Tim White has only been retired for a little more than a week, and he’s already having second thoughts.
Who can blame him? After 52 years at Benet Academy, most of this Aurora man’s identity was wrapped around his iconic role as English teacher at the private high school in Lisle.
Think about it: More than half a century ago he walked across the street from what is now Benedictine University with his brand new teaching degree — and through Benet’s doors.
Eight thousand students later, he’s finally leaving.
It’s not like the decision was easy. When White says he loved “every minute in the classroom” teaching in his own sometimes irreverent, always passionate style, you can tell he means it.
But it’s all the extra work that comes with being a teacher — I mean, a really dedicated teacher — that finally got the best of him. One Sunday he was facing yet another eight-hour stack of papers to grade, griping yet again about how awful the writing was, when his wife Pat finally asked him, “Is it time?”
“Probably,” he told her. And he admitted the same to me earlier this week when I was visiting with him at Holy Angels Parish Center in Aurora, his lifelong church, where he’s also served as deacon for the past 32 years.
“Seriously,” I ask him, “Do you regret the decision?”
He looks down and pauses. I wait. He looks at me and pauses some more.
“Probably,” he finally says.
This almost palpable uncertainty is understandable. It’s only been a short while since White threw his mortarboard into the air at Benet’s graduation, ceremoniously signaling the end of an era. He nods when I assure him retirement must take getting used to, just like working full time did once upon a very long time ago.
White, a Marmion Academy grad, didn’t start out to be a teacher. He worked at this newspaper and studied chemical engineering. But after what he describes as “stumbling into education,” he quickly became hooked on the high he received from guiding and mentoring kids.
Many of those former students appeared with him on a recent edition of “Windy City Live,” WLS-Channel 7’s new show that took over the dead air created when Oprah decided to close out her own illustrious — but only 25-year — career.
Turns out Matthew DeCarlo, a roving reporter for “Windy City Live,” was one of White’s former students. And when he found out his favorite teacher was hanging it up, he just had to put him on the air.
It’s a great video — go to windycitylive.com/video#global — that captures White’s quirkiness, sense of humor and enthusiasm. During the live segment of this feature, a large group of former students even turned out to surprise White, although he tells me those fans included “a lot of young girls who just wanted to see themselves on camera.”
Maybe. But also standing among the fans was Brigid Pasulka, now an English teacher at Whitney Young High School in Chicago and 2010 recipient of the Hemingway Foundation Award for her first novel, “A Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True.”
“She, of course, didn’t pay a bit of attention to what I tried to teach her about writing titles,” White deadpans, while discussing just one of his many star students.
White, as it turns out, was never one to sit back on his laurels. For example, in a class that allowed the less than stellar minds to choose their own books, he made sure he would be able to discuss the works with his students.
“I read the entire ‘Twilight’ series,” he says, as well as “all four books of the ‘Sisterhood of Traveling Pants.’” And he even suffered through a couple of Nicholas Sparks novels.
Now, with all this time on his hands, White claims he’s “certainly” going to write his own book.
Probably.
“I’ve started a lot of things over the years,” he admits. “But I’m 74 years old, and after all this time, what if I find out I can’t do it?”
I’m thinking he can. But even if this veteran educator never gets a word published, he must surely be proud of the large footprint he’s left behind in his 52 years at Benet.
I’m also thinking he’s not quite finished making that imprint.
“Somehow, in some capacity, I’ll be back” in the classroom, he says. And this time there is no uncertainty in his statement.
“I just don’t think I can stay away.”
Retirement tough lesson for iconic local teacher
By Denise Crosby dcrosby@stmedianetwork.com June 11, 2011
Tim White has only been retired for a little more than a week, and he’s already having second thoughts.
Who can blame him? After 52 years at Benet Academy, most of this Aurora man’s identity was wrapped around his iconic role as English teacher at the private high school in Lisle.
Think about it: More than half a century ago he walked across the street from what is now Benedictine University with his brand new teaching degree — and through Benet’s doors.
Eight thousand students later, he’s finally leaving.
It’s not like the decision was easy. When White says he loved “every minute in the classroom” teaching in his own sometimes irreverent, always passionate style, you can tell he means it.
But it’s all the extra work that comes with being a teacher — I mean, a really dedicated teacher — that finally got the best of him. One Sunday he was facing yet another eight-hour stack of papers to grade, griping yet again about how awful the writing was, when his wife Pat finally asked him, “Is it time?”
“Probably,” he told her. And he admitted the same to me earlier this week when I was visiting with him at Holy Angels Parish Center in Aurora, his lifelong church, where he’s also served as deacon for the past 32 years.
“Seriously,” I ask him, “Do you regret the decision?”
He looks down and pauses. I wait. He looks at me and pauses some more.
“Probably,” he finally says.
This almost palpable uncertainty is understandable. It’s only been a short while since White threw his mortarboard into the air at Benet’s graduation, ceremoniously signaling the end of an era. He nods when I assure him retirement must take getting used to, just like working full time did once upon a very long time ago.
White, a Marmion Academy grad, didn’t start out to be a teacher. He worked at this newspaper and studied chemical engineering. But after what he describes as “stumbling into education,” he quickly became hooked on the high he received from guiding and mentoring kids.
Many of those former students appeared with him on a recent edition of “Windy City Live,” WLS-Channel 7’s new show that took over the dead air created when Oprah decided to close out her own illustrious — but only 25-year — career.
Turns out Matthew DeCarlo, a roving reporter for “Windy City Live,” was one of White’s former students. And when he found out his favorite teacher was hanging it up, he just had to put him on the air.
It’s a great video — go to windycitylive.com/video#global — that captures White’s quirkiness, sense of humor and enthusiasm. During the live segment of this feature, a large group of former students even turned out to surprise White, although he tells me those fans included “a lot of young girls who just wanted to see themselves on camera.”
Maybe. But also standing among the fans was Brigid Pasulka, now an English teacher at Whitney Young High School in Chicago and 2010 recipient of the Hemingway Foundation Award for her first novel, “A Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True.”
“She, of course, didn’t pay a bit of attention to what I tried to teach her about writing titles,” White deadpans, while discussing just one of his many star students.
White, as it turns out, was never one to sit back on his laurels. For example, in a class that allowed the less than stellar minds to choose their own books, he made sure he would be able to discuss the works with his students.
“I read the entire ‘Twilight’ series,” he says, as well as “all four books of the ‘Sisterhood of Traveling Pants.’” And he even suffered through a couple of Nicholas Sparks novels.
Now, with all this time on his hands, White claims he’s “certainly” going to write his own book.
Probably.
“I’ve started a lot of things over the years,” he admits. “But I’m 74 years old, and after all this time, what if I find out I can’t do it?”
I’m thinking he can. But even if this veteran educator never gets a word published, he must surely be proud of the large footprint he’s left behind in his 52 years at Benet.
I’m also thinking he’s not quite finished making that imprint.
“Somehow, in some capacity, I’ll be back” in the classroom, he says. And this time there is no uncertainty in his statement.
“I just don’t think I can stay away.”