I think if I would have brought a difficult quadratic problem to breakfast this morning, Erin might have laughed a bit, but then she would have probably set off to solving it. She is a marvelous student who I taught in Junior Pre Calculus Honors. They were 24 seats in that room and every one of them was filled with smart, funny, witty problem solvers. One of these days, I am going to track down what every one of them is doing. Because I am sure it will amaze me. My favorite classes were when we go off on a tangent suggested by some student and just fly completely off the rails. They would sometimes look at me in wonder when at the end of the class, I would tell them we still do not have a solution, but hasn't this ride been wonderful. I think it might have been the first time in their lives they did not end up with the correct answer. And there were quite a few that really wanted closure, but I know enjoyed the ride.
Erin or Gunner (her Biloxi nickname) was front seat in the second row almost dead middle. She and I both remembered today at breakfast where she sat. The seat was important to her now and was important to her then. Now Erin is a full fledged professional architect and would pay $100 to just watch her work from the sidelines. She is just always working, learning, and trying to decipher the challenge in front of her. And she is relentless, I don't know when I first coined this metaphor, but I have had several students like Erin who treat a problem or a challenge like a hungry pit bull with a steak bone. She will not let it go until she had decided she had gotten every piece of meat off of the bone. She might even crack it with her teeth to see what is inside.
I knew who Erin was from her first day of high school, because she was the younger sister of Claire, probably one of the most enjoyable human beings I have ever coached. Sisters at least at Nerinx often have widely different characters. I love them both, but they are different women with different talents. For a couple of years, Erin made the Biloxi magnets even on the years she was not on the trip. I would (in the last few days) show up her house with a bunch of color markers and magnets and she would have a wonderful drawing or wonderful letters on each magnet. These treasured magnets live on in rooms all over St. Louis. I think I had this request of her at the last minute several times, and it was always the same. I would be greeted with a big smile from her mom and welcomed into the house. I would take a couple of minutes to show Erin what I had and she would start working on them.
I saw my nephew Kurt yesterday at a great movie and I am mostly proud SLUH alumnus, bit I maintain that Erin and her classmates and many more Colleen Hannegan at Ursuline or Annie Timmerman at Incarnate are just amazing students and I would take any of these girls over the best of the boys' school. Here is the big difference I think, Erin never took a math class off the entire year. She came ready to work for 95 minutes every day and worked for 95 minutes. Kansas' architecture program draws some of the best in the country and I know she competed and excelled in those classes. But the difference?? Kindness, Compassion and the ability to reach out to the "other" these girls have it. Erin has it and so do so many I have taught.
Today in our country, we need kindness and empathy and to treat each human being with dignity and love. If we are debating immigration policy, we have already lost because we have left that kindness that compassion behind. All over this country we have great people they can be architects or nurses or social workers or teachers and they pursue knowledge in their field and outside of their field each and every day. Look to your right and you will see a lifelong learner and then look to that smile. Erin greets the entire world with that smile and her kindness every day.
"Non sibi, sed suis"
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