I attended Augustana College in Rock Island, IL.  I had several work study jobs throughout my time there.   The best experience I had was working for a gentleman by the name of Dave Wrath.  Dave has been the Sports Information Director at Augustana for over 30 years.  He is a legend in the SID world.  I was lucky enough to secure a position in his office performing a variety of tasks related to publicizing the athletic programs and maintaining statistics.

Needless to say, Dave made quite an impact on my college career and life.  Dave was being inducted into the Hall of Fame at Augustana a few years back and he said something in his speech that I truly took to heart and try to focus on every day.  Dave was actually sharing a lesson he learned from another legend in the Augustana sports world and even on the national stage, Dr. Paul Olsen.  Dr. Olsen had believed in Dave as a runner in Augie’s cross country/track program and at some point along the way had shared the sage advice for educators and mentors alike…”Never give up on a kid.”  Always believe in kids and find new and different ways to support them even amidst setbacks and failures.

It’s a true test for educators to move past student misbehaviors and bad decisions.  To forgive and forget and to move on.  Never giving up on a kid means that you have to believe in the potential for all kids.  It doesn’t mean you can save all kids…it means you have to believe in all kids.  We all know that one student who has pushed us to our last nerve.  I have learned so many things from Dave.  Most lessons learned by the example that he sets with attention to detail, working hard, developing relationships.  None were more important than the commitment to never give up on a kid.

In the photo, Dave is on the right, I am on the left and Coach Steve Yount is in the middle.  Two mentors that have made a positive impact on my life and on my teaching.