The Old Guy Rules

Summer's been here for a few weeks now, and while it's been both enjoyable and relaxing, I'm going to admit something that may sound strange for a teacher to say:  I miss my kids.  Don't get me wrong idea, I am as happy about summer break as anyone, and I was so tired at the end of the year and needed to recharge my batteries.  Still, I had such great kids in my classes this year all year long, and I miss them.  

One of the best things about teaching is getting to know the kids in your classes.  I had to do that fast this year, as I had two classes that were only a semester long.  The kids in those classes were such great people that I missed them the minute they walked out the door at the end of the semester in January.  However, when my new classes started, THEY were such great kids that it softened the blow of losing my first classes.  I taught a new class this year for the first time, World Literature, and whenever you teach a prep for the first time, it's a little scary.  You don't know how the lessons are going to work and you worry about how the kids will react.  I found out soon that I had nothing to worry about.  The students in those classes were some of the nicest, most personable people I've met in 25 years of education, and every day was fun.  I had a Modern Literature class that I had been teaching for years, and those kids were a fantastic group as well.  It's funny to me that such a connection can exist between a bunch of 17 and 18-year-old kids and a 46-year-old English teacher, but I really felt like this year's seniors were like my own kids.  I was relieved to have the school year over and was looking forward to the beginning of summer, but from the day the seniors walked out of the building for the last time, I missed them.  It feels just like it did when my own daughter went off to college.  I was happy for her and knew she had to move on with her life, but I missed her so much.  That's kind of how I feel about my seniors.  Thank goodness for Facebook.

The seniors of the class of 2011 gave me one final gift before making their exit.  They elected me as the winner of The Hennessey Award, given every year to the teacher who made the biggest difference in the lives of the graduating students at Glenbard North.  I gave a speech at graduation, and it was truly the honor of my life.  I was a first-team All-American football player in college and was also inducted into Eureka College's Athletic Hall of Fame.  I've published a book and have won all kinds of sports trophies and power lifting contests.  But that award I received this year at graduation meant more to me than anything I've ever won because of the people who gave it to me.  As you guys head off to college and career, I hope you'll all remember how special you made this school year for me.  Thanks to all of you, it's the best year I've ever had in education and a year I'll never forget.

I am going through a transitional period in my life right now.  My daughter is weeks away from leaving for college, and I've never been without her.  I'm probably closer to my little girl than a lot of fathers for one simple reason:  I've raised her on my own since she was 2.  Her mother decided she didn't want to be married or be responsible for kids, so she took off for another life and left me "holding the bag."  What she didn't realize until later was that the bag was full of the best thing life has to offer...children.  When my kids were little, we did kid things together...going to the park, watching Barney, swimming, The Rugrats Movie, etc.  Now we do adult things together, and when my Shelbi leaves for college, I'm not just losing my daughter, I'm losing one of my best friends.  I know it has to be, but I'm not looking forward to it.  I think she's excited about college, but she's also nervous, as all kids are.  I don't know how all of us here at the house will handle being without Shelbi, but it won't be easy for anyone, including our pets.  We have a dog and a cat, and they both love Shelbi, who loves animals as much as anyone I know.  Conan and I will probably spend hours each night howling for her to come back.

Anyone out there who has gone through this and has suggestions for coping, I'm all ears.  I'd love to read your comments.  Thanks, and I'll see you soon.

Jim

Every summer, one of my traditions is to watch the Tour de France.  I've been doing it since the days of Greg Lemond, and the superhuman efforts of one Lance Armstrong have taken my cycling fervor to a completely new level.  Now that Lance is 37 and has been out of cycling for almost 4 years, he's attempting a comeback.  On Sunday, I watched a stage that showed that Lance may not still be King of the Tour, losing time on a climb to a younger, seemingly stronger man, Alberto Contador of Spain.  Many of us (including me) want to believe that Lance is just lying in wait and will make an attack that will leave young Contador in his wake, but something tells me that Contador is the strongest man in the tour.  And there's no shame in that.

Lance sits second right now as they go back into the Alps (I'm watching Stage 16 as I write this), and I'm still sorting out what all this means.  It's like watching Superman being unbelievably strong, but finding someone stronger.  It's like watching the lion who was the ruler of the pride meeting his match in a young lion who is what he used to be.  But Lance is the lion who refuses to quit fighting, though he knows his skills and stamina aren't what they once were.  I've caught a lot of flak from people because I wrote a book called THE OLD GUY RULES when I was 43.  However, the gist of the book is that age is relative.  For an elite cyclist, 37 is ancient.  For a writer, it can be infancy.  Still, what Lance is doing is heroic.  The effort it takes to prepare for a race like the Tour is something most of us cannot comprehend.  I heard it once said that riding the Tour is like running a marathon for 21 straight days.  It's a race of suffering, even by the truly elite riders like Contador and  Lance.  Why would a man who has won 7 straight Tours and has more money than he  will ever be able to spend subject himself this torture?  It's simple:  Lance Armstrong is a true OLD GUY.  He refuses to give up, and he pushes himself even after he has succeeded to the nth degree.  He's also doing it to promote his cancer foundation.  Regardless of where he finishes, Lance Armstrong is a hero.  He's a hero in every sense of the  word, not just because of his Tour success, but because he's overcome so much to get there, he refuses to give up, and he lives his life to help others with his foundation.  That's what I call being a true OLD GUY.

See you all tomorrow, and thanks for checking in,

Jim Rodgers

Author:  THE OLD GUY RULES

www.theoldguyrules.com

Much is being written about Tom Watson's remarkable showing at the British Open over the weekend, everything to what an extraordinary achievement it was just to be competitive at his age to saying that he choked at the end.  How anyone could say he "choked" after 72 holes of golf where he stood toe-to-toe with the best golfers in the world, many about half his age, and beat all but one, is completely beyond me.  He accomplished what most people thought was impossible, and for that I wholeheartedly salute him.

But what makes Watson's achievement so grand was not WHAT he did but HOW he did it.  In a world of "me-first," self-promoting, selfish, trash-talking, excuse-making professional athletes, Mr. Watson carried himself with dignity and class, even in defeat, reminding all of us that you don't have to be jerk to compete at a high level in sports.  When Sergio Garcia lost to Padraig Harrington at the Open, he made a bunch of excuses and whined to the press, something Tom Watson would NEVER do.  Watson sat at the press conference and answered every question honestly, and in spite of how much it hurt him to lose that tournament at the end, he was smiling when Stewart Cink made his final putt and raised his arms in victory, happy for the man who had just stolen a dream from him.  In a place with so much history and class, Scotland, Tom Watson reminded all of us what a true OLD GUY should be. 

    Yesterday, I had an article on myself and my book, THE OLD GUY RULES, posted on the health and fitness website, Sparkpeople.com.  The outpouring of support and positivity has been overwhelming.  I've made so many new friends already, all of whom are dedicated to living their lives in a positive, energetic, caring way, and it's encouraging to know that there are so many people out there who have overcome great obstacles in their lives and remain happy and committed to their goals.  I have a lot of friends already, but I'm ecstatic to have so many new friends from Sparkpeople.com.  You all have renewed my faith in humanity and friendship, and I appreciate all of you!!!

Jim