You Should.....

 Students there is going to be a time in your life, where a trusted person, a good person, a person who knows your talent and your soul, says to you.---You should....

Listen to that person and do it.

Eighteen years ago or so, Shona Clarkson walked into my math class and asked to watch a dvd with the whole class. I said no. She looked at me and said, "Mr. Magee, you of all people, should watch this." Shona is a great person and she knew me, or at least she knew what I wanted to be and insisted.  I ended up watching the dvd twice that day, with both senior math classes because they insisted ( or maybe they just didn't want to find roots of quartic equations).   

It was in Room E14 that at that exact moment I signed up to go to Uganda with the Invisible Children.  It's been too long since i've seen Shona,  I am going to have to find her just to thank her again.  All of my experiences in Uganda, all my friends, all my joys happened because my student Shona insisted.  Shona Clarkson changed my life.

Near the end of my second tour in Uganda a fellow teacher Josh Robinson asked me if I was coming back for a third year.  Of all the teachers in that year, josh was one of the best and I remembered looking forward to the weekends, because he would come back from Lacekoyot and we would get to hang and raise a cold Nile. Josh is a great person and he knew me, or at least he knew what I tried to be so he said, "You should teach at Atanga next year just to meet the Head Boy, Kwoyelo Ronald.  Josh gave me the greatest gift a person can give, he gave me my friend, Ronald.

So remember students when a good person, a person who knows you says, "You should...." Make sure you do it.

But wait this story just gets better, yesterday I probably said for the third or fourth time on this trip. I really need to find Josh Robinson and thank him.  Ronald  tells me he has a number that did not work for him.  I copied down the number with a chicago area code and sent a message.  

Last night, I got a message back. It said , "John, this is Josh from Atanga! Wow, it has been a while. I hope all is well, sir."

So today after fifteen or so years, i will call a number and Ronald and Josh and I will talk like old friends.

And next week, Shona my spirit guide, I will find you again.