Thank you Mr. Fabricant
Sender
Chris Huennekens
Posted On
2006-11-24
Year
1986
Memoir
A huge thank you to Mr. Alan Fabricant. Mr. Fabricant taught English & History (that's LA & SS for you youngin's). He mainly taught Remedial & ESL classes. I first took one of Mr. Fabricant's Remedial History classes because I thought it would be an easy A. It wasn't - but I did walk away with a love of history that stays with me to this day. Most people in the other classes couldn't tell you how the Electoral College works, but anyone who was in Mr. Fab's class can! Thanks to his English class I know what a misanthrope is and the meaning of circumlocution (as seen in this post).
A lot of people (including my guidance counselor) thought I was a loser, and I at the time maybe I was, more interested in partying than in studying. Mr. Fab saw who I could be, and never gave up trying to bring out that potential. That's how he approached everything. Some teachers grow cynical over the years, battling lack of funding, a school board that's rarely around long enough to see the consequences of it's actions, misguided legislation like "No Child Left Behind", and indifferent parents. Their response is to "phone in" their job, do what they have to in order to get by, hoping to make it into Administration.
Mr. Fabricant's response was to never forget why he was there - to teach. His love of teaching transcended all the hassles, and reached out to the kids others didn't want to teach, and gave an Honors-level education to those of us who either didn't have access to it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Mr. Fabricant.
A lot of people (including my guidance counselor) thought I was a loser, and I at the time maybe I was, more interested in partying than in studying. Mr. Fab saw who I could be, and never gave up trying to bring out that potential. That's how he approached everything. Some teachers grow cynical over the years, battling lack of funding, a school board that's rarely around long enough to see the consequences of it's actions, misguided legislation like "No Child Left Behind", and indifferent parents. Their response is to "phone in" their job, do what they have to in order to get by, hoping to make it into Administration.
Mr. Fabricant's response was to never forget why he was there - to teach. His love of teaching transcended all the hassles, and reached out to the kids others didn't want to teach, and gave an Honors-level education to those of us who either didn't have access to it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Mr. Fabricant.