During my middle and high school years, I recall watching the zany television sitcom “Welcome Back Cotter.” I remember asking myself, “Could kids in the real world ever be this disinterested in school?” I did not understand why students became so disenchanted with school to the point of sometimes just giving up. I then thought about some of the teachers I worked with during my early years in school. Interestingly, the teachers who really cared about the students were first to come to my mind. Of course, I also experienced those teachers who showed little concern for the needs of the individual child and solely concentrated their efforts on academics. Finally, there was the “clock watcher” who used meaningless activities as a tool to fill the time until next bell. It is my belief that these clock-watchers were often responsible for creating the conditions in the classroom that too often resulted in boredom and misbehavior. Fortunately, I had a wonderful American History teacher, Mr. Terry Dunn. He was the type of teacher who was concerned with teaching the whole child, not just his course content. Throughout the years, Mr. Dunn has continued to be very instrumental in encouraging me to pursue my goal of becoming a teacher.
Even today, I frequently ask myself, “What did Coach Dunn do in his American History Class to make it such an enjoyable experience?” The answer to this question always comes back to the fact that he made all of his students feel special. He also was very knowledgeable in his subject matter and varied his approach with each lesson. However, he always went one step further and always tried to learn something special about each of his students. In high school, I was a very average student and was lacking in self-confidence. I was shy, quiet, and very willing to melt into the woodwork rather than assuming a leadership role in the classroom. Because of this shyness, I was often placed in classes with students who either had histories of discipline problems or with students such as I who preferred to take a secondary role in the class. During my junior year, I once again found myself in the “average” class in American History. However, this time it was different. Terry Dunn was the teacher. Coach Dunn frequently referred to our third period class as the “Welcome Back Cotter” class. Giving the class this label could easily have been construed as being negative. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Coach Dunn adopted this television theme in an attempt to create a positive feeling for our class. He was always very proficient in the use of humor as a method of getting his point across. This use of humor created a real sense of family, and as a result, we all felt we had the responsibility to do our part to keep the class on track.
During my high school years, I was the only girl who participated on the golf team. Since no other girls reported for tryouts, I was forced to compete with the boys on the team. In History class, Coach Dunn made a big deal over the fact that I had the courage and confidence to compete against the boys. After each golf match, he made sure he used me as an example of someone who was willing to face tough odds and not give up. He frequently highlighted my scores to the class and although they were usually not as low as the best boys’ scores, he was quick to point out that I always seemed to beat a good number of them. I may not have always been a winner on the scorecard, but I always felt like a winner when I left his classroom. Through his actions, this shy, quiet girl was now being recognized by the rest of the class as someone special. All of a sudden, I found myself feeling like I was a leader as opposed to just another student sitting there waiting for the fourth period bell to ring. This may seem very insignificant to students who are always in the limelight, popular, or are outgoing. However, to me, Coach Dunn’s efforts made my days in American History truly enjoyable. I even found history to be my favorite subject that year. To this day, I still wonder whether I enjoyed the history class for the content, or did I enjoy history class because of this caring teacher.
Today, I am employed at my former high school as a secretary in the student affairs office. In my position, I see the influence that Coach Dunn has on his present students as well as those who have graduated. Each time I see Coach Dunn in the office or hallway, he always greets me with his pleasant smile and always seems to say just the right appropriate comment He frequently inquires as to how my college courses are proceeding and makes it a point to encourage me to complete my dream. I not only consider Coach Dunn as a great teacher, but more importantly, I believe he is a good friend and mentor. Today, many of his former students return to the school to visit. They always ask to visit their former teachers but I have noticed that Coach Dunn is always at the top of the list. During his thirty-four years in education, he has been recognized not only for his victories on the football field, but also for his victories with the students in his classroom. When I needed a “Mr. Cotter,” Terry Dunn was there. He made me believe in myself and develop the confidence that I needed to pursue my dream.
I will always remember my last day in American History Class. Usually the last day of class was a happy time, but somehow, this day was different. Our entire class seemed to show a reluctance to leave even though we knew we had to move on. As a token of our appreciation, the class presented Coach Dunn with his own personal copy of the “Welcome Back Cotter” theme song. I will always remember his face as he listened to the crazy lyrics of this song. Standing in front of his class was this big, burly football coach who was quickly becoming glassy-eyed and unable to hide his emotions. It was evident that his “Rutabagas,” (that is what he called us) would remain in his memory for years to come. It was also evident that he was sure that he had succeeded with us and felt confident that he had left his mark in our quest to become young adults. Today, as I try to juggle working a full time job while taking 12 hours of college credit, I still find myself reverting back to Terry Dunn’s words of encouragement. Remembering his words some how gives me the power to find the strength, endurance and courage to once again “compete with those boys on that golf team.”
-- Amy Clodfelter, Florida Atlantic University