Today is a sad day for me as I learned my teacher mentor Patrick J. Corr passed on.

 I will never forget the first day I started teaching in 1969.  The principal told me to go down to the basement to Room B9 and watch a veteran teacher in action.  Just walking into his room I was immediately impressed.  His classroom was meticulously decorated with that month’s theme.

Observing him teach I quickly realized how he had the complete attention of all of his students.  As he walked around the classroom I saw all the students’ eyes follow him.  He showed me that a teacher had to be an actor. After that initial observation Pat asked me to join him and several colleagues for lunch in his room.  That was the beginning of my first PLN.  These three teachers taught me how to teach, design engaging lessons, decorate a classroom and be prepared for any eventualities.

I was crushed in the 1970’s when he was laid off.  Here was a teacher whose whole life was devoted to teaching. He was laid off because he had low seniority on the high school level.  All the years he taught on the junior high level were not considered.  He was never sick and the only day he took off was to attend my father’s funeral.  Luckily he was quickly rehired and I am sure he benefited the lives of all of the students he taught.

Pat was the epitomy of a constant learner.  He was a voracious history reader and took courses on his own to learn even more

The world is a better place thanks to Patrick J. Corr.  I will miss him!

“A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart”