When my university classmates ask me where I went to high school, I inform them that I graduated in the state of Idaho. Usually, I am met with muttered apologies, awkward glances, or jokes about some sort of lack of education. But I knew that my experience at Eagle High School was different. In some of my current classes I regularly praise the names of the teachers that taught me infinitely many times better than even some of my university professors. I know how to meet a deadline; I know how to work. Of course, some teachers leave much to be desired - but Clay Hatfield is not one of them. I spent four years watching him stand in the halls, or in the classroom, or... in other teachers classrooms, reaching out to students, interacting with the minds he works so hard to enlighten. The art of reaching out to the youth of today is a delicate one. It takes a special gift to be able to help young people, including myself - at a stage of life full of pressures, difficulties, and an explosion of new experiences - to understand the value of education, personal accountability, freedom of expression, self-identity, diversity, culture, and community. Consider the many teachers in the state of Idaho that put the class to sleep before the bell even rings. Consider the many teachers in the state of Idaho that have never bothered to have a conversation out of class with the minds theyre supposed to reach out to. And consider Clay Hatfield, who works tirelessly to ensure that every student who enters his classroom leaves with a smile and a lesson. In a time where many students, such as myself, struggle to really discover who they are and what they stand for, in a largely homogeneous society dominated heavily by a traditional, religious, conservative culture, teachers like Clay Hatfield are a beacon. I want to make it clear to the West Ada School district; the removal of this teacher will strike an incredible blow to the atmosphere at Eagle High School. In a state with an unfortunate reputation for closed-minded, inflexible politics and a culture that is aggressive to people who are in any way different, role models such as this man can never be discounted. For the sake of the future and current students at Eagle High School; let the man get back to work.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 20:12:30 +0000
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