thank you __PUNCT__
i happi to be back at episcop __PUNCT__ my alma mater __PUNCT__ which i have mani happi memori of __PUNCT__ and a few that i sure former teacher __PUNCT__ school administr and i would rather forget __PUNCT__
until i enrol at episcop __PUNCT__ my educ had been constantli disrupt by the demand of my father naval career __PUNCT__ which requir us to move so often that i lost track of the number of school i attend __PUNCT__
my parent had resolv final to put an end to our haphazard educ and enrol my sister __PUNCT__ brother and me in board school __PUNCT__
i arriv here a pretti rambuncti boi __PUNCT__ with a littl bit of a chip on my shoulder __PUNCT__
i wa alwai the new kid __PUNCT__ and wa accustom to prove myself quickli at each new school as someon not to be challeng lightli __PUNCT__
as a young man __PUNCT__ i would respond aggress and sometim irrespons to anyon whom i perceiv to have question my sens of honor and self __PUNCT__ respect __PUNCT__
those respons often got me in a fair amount of troubl earlier in life __PUNCT__
in all candor __PUNCT__ as an adult i been known to forget occasion the discret expect of a person of my year and station when i believ i been accord a lack of respect i did not deserv __PUNCT__
self __PUNCT__ improv should be a work in progress all our live __PUNCT__ and i confess to need it as much as anyon __PUNCT__
but i believ if my detractor had known me at episcop thei might marvel at the self __PUNCT__ restraint and mellow i develop as an adult __PUNCT__
or perhap thei wouldn't quit see it that wai __PUNCT__
howev much i wa captiv to the unruli passion of youth __PUNCT__ which some of my classmat and friend at episcop could attest to as thei share more than a few of those attribut themselv __PUNCT__ after a difficult first year adjust to life here __PUNCT__ i came to appreci thi place veri much __PUNCT__
episcop had borrow some of it tradit from militari academi __PUNCT__
on in particular __PUNCT__ bother me a bit __PUNCT__ the design of first year student as __PUNCT__ rat __PUNCT__ and the mild haze that accompani the design __PUNCT__
mild or not __PUNCT__ i resent it __PUNCT__ more than i should of __PUNCT__ and i made my resent clear in my usual immatur wai to upperclassman and school offici __PUNCT__ pile up demerit and earn the distinct at the end of the year of __PUNCT__ worst rat __PUNCT__
but __PUNCT__ for whatev reason __PUNCT__ episcop did offer me a home here __PUNCT__ and if it regret that decis __PUNCT__ it didn't make it known through the usual mean __PUNCT__
memori often accord our high school year the distinct of be among the happiest of our live __PUNCT__
i rememb episcop in that light __PUNCT__
the academ were superb and seriou __PUNCT__ a testament to the mani fine teacher here __PUNCT__
athlet were accord almost equal weight __PUNCT__ and i appreci the opportun it gave a mediocr athlet to particip in team sport __PUNCT__
and the honor code here __PUNCT__ i will not lie __PUNCT__ i will not cheat __PUNCT__ i will not steal __PUNCT__ wa much the same as the code my parent had taught and which would govern my behavior at annapoli and in the navi __PUNCT__
and if i didn't appreci it as much as i should have __PUNCT__ i learn to do so when my honor wa challeng by more seriou threat than i ever face in high school __PUNCT__
and i had good friend here __PUNCT__ and those friendship make up the best part of my remembr __PUNCT__
there wa on friendship that enrich my life at eh beyond measur __PUNCT__
were william b __PUNCT__ ravenel the onli person i rememb from episcop __PUNCT__ i would credit those dai among the best in my life __PUNCT__
hi influenc in my life wa more import and more benevol than that of ani person outsid my famili __PUNCT__
mr __PUNCT__ ravenel wa head of the english depart __PUNCT__ and coach the junior varsiti footbal team __PUNCT__ on which i plai __PUNCT__
he had been a star run back at davidson colleg and had a master degre in english from duke __PUNCT__
like most men of hi gener __PUNCT__ he had known far greater danger than that pose by a tough defens line __PUNCT__
he had serv in patton tank corp dure the third armi aggress advanc across europ __PUNCT__ and had surviv hard encount with hitler panzer divis __PUNCT__
he wa a lieuten colonel in the armi reserv __PUNCT__ the onli master at school who still serv in the militari __PUNCT__
he seem to hi student to be as wise and capabl as anyon could expect to be __PUNCT__
he love english literatur __PUNCT__ and taught us to love it as well __PUNCT__
he had a wai of commun with hi student that wa uniqu person and effect __PUNCT__
he made us appreci how profound were the emot that anim the charact in shakespear tragedi __PUNCT__
macbeth and hamlet in hi care were as compel to boi as thei were to the most learn scholar __PUNCT__
no other teacher had as much of our respect and affect __PUNCT__
he wa simpli the best man at the school __PUNCT__ on of the best men i have ever known __PUNCT__
as luck would have it __PUNCT__ i wa order to work off my demerit in mr __PUNCT__ ravenel yard __PUNCT__
i don't know if school author were intention do me a favor and knew that mr __PUNCT__ ravenel would be abl to help repair the all __PUNCT__ too __PUNCT__ evid flaw in my person __PUNCT__
neither do i know why he took an interest in me __PUNCT__
but i count the fact that he did among the most fortun relationship in my life __PUNCT__
i discuss all manner of subject with him __PUNCT__ from sport to the short stori of somerset maugham __PUNCT__ from hi combat experi to my futur __PUNCT__
he wa on of the few peopl to whom i confid that i wa bound for annapoli and a navi career __PUNCT__ and to whom i confess my reserv about my fate __PUNCT__
in the fall of my senior year __PUNCT__ a member of the j.v __PUNCT__ footbal team had broken team rule __PUNCT__
i cannot recal the exact natur of the offens __PUNCT__ but it wa seriou enough to warrant hi expuls from the team __PUNCT__
mr __PUNCT__ ravenel call a team meet __PUNCT__ and most player argu the accus should be drop from the roster __PUNCT__
i offer the onli argument for a less sever punish __PUNCT__
the student in question had broken train __PUNCT__
but unlik the rest of us __PUNCT__ he had chosen at the start of the year not to sign a pledg promis to abid faithfulli by the train rule __PUNCT__
had he sign it __PUNCT__ i wouldn't have defend him __PUNCT__
moreov __PUNCT__ he had confess hi offens and express remors freeli without fear of discoveri __PUNCT__
i thought hi behavior honor __PUNCT__
so did mr __PUNCT__ ravenel __PUNCT__
but he kept hi own counsel __PUNCT__ prefer hi boi to reason the thing out for ourselv __PUNCT__
as we were do so __PUNCT__ mr __PUNCT__ ravenel began to nod hi head when some of the other began to take up the defens __PUNCT__
final __PUNCT__ he close the matter by voic hi support for lenienc __PUNCT__
the team vote to drop the matter __PUNCT__
after the meet broke up __PUNCT__ mr __PUNCT__ ravenel told me we had done the right thing and thank me __PUNCT__
he said he had been anxiou befor the meet __PUNCT__ but had not want to be the on who argu for exoner __PUNCT__
he want the decis to be our __PUNCT__
he told me he wa proud of me __PUNCT__
everi child should be bless with a teacher like i had __PUNCT__ and to learn at institut with high academ standard and code of conduct that reinforc the valu their parent try to impart to them __PUNCT__
mani student do have that opportun __PUNCT__
but too mani do not __PUNCT__
and govern should be concern with their fate __PUNCT__
i support the no child left behind act becaus it recogn that we can no longer accept high standard for some student and low standard for other __PUNCT__
with honest report of student progress we begin to see what is happen to student who were previous invis to us __PUNCT__
that is progress on it own __PUNCT__ but we can and we must do better __PUNCT__
if a fail school won't chang __PUNCT__ it shouldn't be beyond the reach of student to chang their school __PUNCT__
parent should be abl to send their children to the school that best suit their need just as cindi and i have been abl to do __PUNCT__ whether it is a public __PUNCT__ privat or parochi school __PUNCT__
the result will not be the demis of the public school system in america __PUNCT__ but competit that will help make public school account and as success as thei should be in a countri as great and prosper as our __PUNCT__
teach is among the most honor profess ani american can join __PUNCT__
after our parent __PUNCT__ few peopl influenc our earli life as profoundli as teacher __PUNCT__
their is an underpaid profess __PUNCT__ dedic to the servic of other __PUNCT__ which offer littl in the wai of the reward that much of popular cultur encourag us to crave __PUNCT__ wealth and celebr __PUNCT__
but though it might lack much in the wai of creatur comfort and renown __PUNCT__ teach offer a reward far more valuabl __PUNCT__ the profound satisfact that come from know you have made a differ for the better in someon els life __PUNCT__
good teacher occupi a place in our memori that accord them a rever we give few other __PUNCT__
we should be wise enough to understand that those who work dilig and lovingli to educ the children we entrust to their care __PUNCT__ deserv the gratitud and support mani of us wish we had given those of our own teacher __PUNCT__ who onc made such a differ in our own live __PUNCT__
we should reward the best of them with merit pai __PUNCT__ and encourag teacher who have lost their focu on the children thei teach to find anoth line of work __PUNCT__
school should compet to be innov __PUNCT__ flexibl and student __PUNCT__ center institut __PUNCT__ not safe haven for the uninspir and unaccount __PUNCT__
thei should be abl to compet for dedic __PUNCT__ effect __PUNCT__ charact __PUNCT__ build teacher __PUNCT__ hire them and reward them __PUNCT__
i believ we should encourag militari veteran to enter the teach profess __PUNCT__ and i advoc the troop __PUNCT__ to __PUNCT__ teacher act __PUNCT__
the sens of heighten respons and duti to a caus greater than themselv that veteran were taught in the disciplin and code of conduct of the arm forc make mani of them excel candid to impart those virtu to our children __PUNCT__ and help them see the valu of learn as a mean to self __PUNCT__ improv and much nobler end __PUNCT__
there is no reason on earth that thi great countri should not possess the best educ system in the world __PUNCT__
we have let fear of uncertainti __PUNCT__ and a view that educ primari purpos is to protect job for teacher and administr degrad our sens of the possibl in america __PUNCT__
there is no excus for it __PUNCT__
in the global economi what you learn is what you earn __PUNCT__
but todai __PUNCT__ studi show that half of hispan and half of african american enter high school do not graduat with their class __PUNCT__
by the __NUM__ grade __PUNCT__ u. __PUNCT__ student in math and scienc score near the bottom of all industri nation __PUNCT__
we need to shake up fail school bureaucraci with competit __PUNCT__ empow parent with choic __PUNCT__ remov barrier to qualifi instructor __PUNCT__ attract and reward superior teacher __PUNCT__ and have a fair __PUNCT__ but sure process to weed out incompet __PUNCT__
speak person __PUNCT__ i doubt i will ever meet anoth person who had the impact on my life that my english teacher at episcop high school did __PUNCT__
but i know there ar mani american who should teach and could influenc children as benefici as he did me __PUNCT__
all children should have a teacher like i had __PUNCT__ who thei rememb when thei have children and grandchildren as on of the most fortun relationship of their live __PUNCT__
i have never forgotten the confid mr __PUNCT__ ravenel prais and trust in me gave me __PUNCT__
nor have i forgotten the man who prais me __PUNCT__
mani year later __PUNCT__ when i came home from vietnam __PUNCT__ mr __PUNCT__ ravenel wa the onli person outsid of my famili whom i want to see urgent __PUNCT__
i felt he wa someon to whom i could explain what had happen to me __PUNCT__ and who would understand __PUNCT__
that is a high tribut to mr __PUNCT__ ravenel __PUNCT__
for i have never known a prison of war who felt he could fulli explain the experi to anyon who had not share it __PUNCT__
i regret that i wa never abl to pai him that tribut __PUNCT__
he had di of a heart attack two year befor i came home __PUNCT__
he live for onli fifti __PUNCT__ three year __PUNCT__ but in that time he had made a life for himself and so mani other that wa so much greater than the brief moment of life he wa allow __PUNCT__
hi death wa a great loss to hi famili __PUNCT__ friend __PUNCT__ episcop __PUNCT__ to the student he had taught with such devot and to everyon who had been bless with hi compani __PUNCT__ a loss i still find difficult to accept __PUNCT__
but becaus he help teach me to be a man __PUNCT__ and to believ in the possibl that we ar not captiv to the worst part of our natur __PUNCT__ i will alwai believ that there is a mr __PUNCT__ ravenel somewher for everi child who need him __PUNCT__
