For Mike: a lost student

Fule for Thought

 

As a teacher, I’ve always tried to treat kids with respect and a sense of humour. Oh sure, sometimes the students may make it a bit harder to do that, but you try anyway. Mike was not one of those students, he had qualities that set him apart from others. There was something in him, that seemed to make him more mature, more sincere than a typical teenager.

For about the first 12 years of my high school teaching, I was also the Sr. Boys’ Basketball coach. Early on, Mike played for us when were still at Samuel Crowther High School (which is now Holy Cross/Sacred Heart Schools). I couldn’t have asked for a better team player than Mike. He worked himself from being on the bench a lot as a rookie, to someone I could easily sub in when we needed intelligence and a spark. He was also one of the most “coachable” players I’ve ever had. If I told him what we needed, he’d try and deliver … if I offered some constructive criticism, he’d use it to try and improve. He also did whatever a coach asked. There was one humorous situation at a tournament in Hanna. Mike’s effort and skill led him to playing some solid minutes. At our team huddle, I pointed out one of our opponents to Mike.  

“You see that guy, Mike? I want you to stay with him … we’re in full-court man, so wherever he goes, you go! You stay RIGHT with him, got it?”

Mike always had a positive attitude, and responded with something like, “no problem, coach.”  

We broke the huddle and Mike raced over to the other team’s bench. He was ready to guard this kid, no matter what. Mike was focused, and stood waiting, right in front of the opponent. The player sat down! Mike waited some more seconds, then with a scratch of his head, realized the player had subbed OUT! We all laughed, Mike was able to find his new check quickly, and he wound up playing a very strong game.

Mike was a good looking kid with great athletic abilities. But he didn’t let these things take him over. Because of that, he was level-headed and he looked out for other students. He would never tease anyone else, and he probably did have opportunities to do that. He was just good to people, and he was respected for his kindness, as well as his intelligence.

On one of the last road trips of the season, Deb and I wound up taking home a few of the Strathmore kids. I remember we were coming up to the hill that drops into Strathmore.  Mike was sleeping in the back seat, and Debbie had just looked back. I’m not sure if it was the lights, or the snow falling, but Debbie said, “Look at Mike, he looks just like a little angel there.” 

I turned the inside mirror to see, and saw that the lights made Mike’s face and hair look like they were glowing!

Mike had applied for the “World Youth College Program.”  

It is a rigorous academic system, where only strong academic students are chosen. About three weeks after the season, Mike was driving home from Calgary and a dinner with his parents. I think it was to be a celebratory dinner. The snow was really falling, and blowing that night. Deb and I had gone home to Canmore for the weekend, but one of my colleagues had reached me there. There had been an accident, and Mike’s car was hit by a large truck on the single lane Chestermere Highway. He did not survive the accident. I almost dropped the phone. I hung it up slowly and gave the news to Deb. She broke into tears, and I sat stunned, trying to take it all in. He had so much potential, was such a good kid, and now, right now, he was gone from here.

School was very somber that week, and most of the kids were in shock. Obviously, his friends and family were devastated. The thing that hit me as well, was that Mike’s mother and grandfather were also quite ill. Their sickness had to be handled, as well as the grieving for Mike. I didn’t know HOW a family could be expected to carry on, but they did.

The funeral was terribly sad. The thing about almost all teachers I know, is that we feel with you, and your kids. If they celebrate, we may be able to join you. If you grieve, we also feel a loss. As a new teacher, I found this out, as many young eyes kept turning back to Deb and me. We cried through the service for the loss of a young man, who had so much promise for a happy future. It would be a long time before I would feel like laughing, or even smiling again. In Mike’s short life, he had taught me some strong lessons about how to treat people, about humility, and kindness to others. He had been strong and mature with his friendships, and he treated people well.  

I haven’t forgotten Mike, and for as long as I coached the Sr. Boys’ team, our home tournament carried Mike’s name. It was my way of trying to keep him with the school, as long as I could. Sometimes, like today, a person remembers the past … and tries to also remember a lost one.