Our sermon today was on Legacy. What will be people say about you when you leave? What is your legacy?
My brother-in-law is laying in the Neuro ICU at a local hospital after an accident yesterday, so of course that is where my mind went first. He is a fighter and I do not believe it is his time to leave yet but I know exactly what his legacy is - his family. Every grandchild wants him over everyone else. He is the baby whisperer. His granddaughter adores him. That is not too strong of a word - they adore each other. He is this big tough guy but he would play Disney princess stories with her when she was little. The image of him carrying her in as part of Rapunzel is one of my all time favorite things. However, he also once told her that he could not be her friend any longer if she didn't do her homework. She is an honor student so they are still the best of friends. He coached his daughter and son's respective sports teams. Yelling at them to do better and shake it off when my sister and I wanted to baby them. He stood in the gap for my own son as well. He filled the role as the strong dad voice because I was always cautious and didn't want Taylor to get hurt. He threw into the water, let him flip across the water coming off a wake board, pulled him to safety off a dirt bike and then, put him right back on it. He shows up for anything my mom needs. So, while it is not his time to leave, his legacy is clear. He is all about family.
When I came home from church, I walked past a stone in my garden with a green E painted on it. I look at it every day as I come into the house. The E was gifted to me years ago by two of my favorite students. It was originally part of a Homecoming display. I asked if I could have it when the display was over and was told yes but it disappeared. These two students saw it at another person's house later, realized that it had been taken without permission, and returned it to me. It is part of my legacy. In the mud room, I have painted letters EHS sitting in my window. These were decorated by students for use in photographs at different events. Each one is unique and over-the-top creative. I wanted them to look great in photographs so I set the bar high. They reached that goal without a problem. Those letters are part of my legacy. As I sit at my desk typing this, there are 3 notes pinned to the board above my laptop. One is a note is from my principal telling me "my dedication to my students is obvious and appreciated" (Legacy). Another is the Robing Ceremony card from one of my favorite students saying "knowing you has changed my life" (Legacy).The final is a thank you note from a student telling me I "saved her" by coming to her a freshman and asking her to serve on Student Council. She told me she was heading in the wrong direction and I turned her around. I never knew that but that counts as Legacy too. I have awards hanging on the office wall but they don't reflect my legacy s much as these 3 cards do.
I love my school. I am Ms. EHS or Ms. Easley. A student gave me that name and I fully embrace it. I can tell you the traditions of the school and why we do them. Just yesterday, I was telling a class how Easley broke their 30+ game losing streak with a flea flicker play against Pickens and how the entire town celebrated with a party in the stadium after driving back from Pickens. How Mrs. Garrison honored the promise of letting the students take down the goal posts. I told another social studies teacher that the portrait of George Washington hanging in my room had hung in a social studies classroom since 1939 and is passed down from teacher to teacher when they retire. Traditions matter. I can quote the Alma Mater but I also mean the Alma Mater when I say My Love will ever be, Easley for Thee. I know how we did things back in the day, why we changed certain things and why we keep certain things too. I house a lot of the institutional memory. I know who Barney is and why we love him. I know exactly why Mrs. Garrison is so special to so many. I once saw her quiet a parent who was ranting about a punishment given to a child by saying "I'm so sorry your child chose to disrespect you by breaking the rules". In that moment, I wanted to be just like her. Every time I write a student a personal note, I think of how Dr. Carmichael wrote one to every single student he had every single year. I will never forget how students wore their IDs to the funeral honoring O. The church was packed and all these kids who loathed their ID tags wore them for him. LEGACY. Chair races, Friday breakfasts, and practical jokes with Dr. Mullis. Legacy. When the band won State a couple of years ago, Mr. Culler cried openly. Every single member of that band, their parents, their friends, and the faculty that were present knew they had his full support. Legacy.
When Mr. Culler was named principal, he said it was the best day of his life. His wife was there and I am sure he wishes he had qualified the statement by saying outside of the day I married Melissa or the birth of my boys. However, I understand the sentiment. When Mrs. Garrison asked if I was ready to come home to teach, it was the best day. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed. People who do not know the history of our amazing school come in and want to change everything and I go into defense mode. I push back. When I am told that someone new to EHS wants to "fix our culture", I get protective. I even go as far as applying at another school... Am I ready to leave EHS? NO! It's my school. IT. IS. MY. SCHOOL. My blood is Kelly Green. I can tell you all the stories from the last few decades. I can celebrate all the victories. I mourn all the losses. Do some things need to change? Yeah. But as a good friend told me, lets don't make major changes in the middle of a pandemic because it looks worse than it is.... because we are after all in a pandemic. Don't let other people make you lose sight of your Legacy. My legacy is empowering the next generation. What's yours?
