I went back to my ole stomping grounds today. I walked the halls, alongside my mother and grandmother, of Bluff City Middle School, home of the Grizzlies.
We reminisced of the changes and memories. We got lost mentally....and literally. We found differences and similarities amongst our time spent inside its four walls...time spent with years in between. We were three generations hand in hand.
I didn’t go looking for anything in particular, or anyone. I just needed to say goodbye.
Or maybe hello again.
It took me a while to find its best kept secrets, it’s good memories, and memories I have always wanted to forget, I mean middle school was...middle school. I remembered the years I made many friends, ultimately found my best friend there. You know who you are. I enjoyed seeing the stairs that led to different grades, the stairs that led to favorite classes and teachers, classes where I watched Bill Nye the Science guy, played Jeopardy, read Nancy Drew books, learned the song Kokomo, and practiced my MC Hammer moves for Star Search!!! I found those rooms I had secret crushes in, rooms I day dreamed about life in, and most importantly those rooms where I had teachers that made a difference in my life, the same teachers I still see and they remember me by my name. Of course I found that one teacher that drank coffee while she taught and made me long to be a coffee drinking teacher myself. I wondered where her coffee pot was?
With all this said, I have to stop and wonder.... I didn’t step inside the building remembering just the educational aspects, I stepped inside the building remembering the relationships I made, remembering the people that impacted my life, and the people that still impact my life. Schools are made for many reasons. And the teachers inside are there for one reason. To teach. But to teach, isn’t always about arithmetics, language arts, science and social studies. To teach is to inspire. Inspire a student to be someone. To teach is to make a difference. To change a stubborn soul into a good humble citizen. To teach is to model honesty, respect, responsibility, and compassion for others. 
Maybe one day, years from now...someone once small will walk through Emmett’s halls searching for a happy memory. Maybe they will find that memory in room 125.
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