Honoring Mr. Benton......A teacher of Math and Life's Lessons

There are some days when its just a little harder to send your child out the door to school.  Today is one of those for me.  We are just finishing Fall Break and have enjoyed having friends over, sleeping late, making pancakes and just plain relaxing.  Back in the day, I didn't have Fall Break, but I can honestly say that our community has wholeheartedly embraced the idea of taking some time to time to  enjoy this beautiful season.  Lots of families take off for the mountains, some go to visit family, and some go to the beach.  Others, like us, just enjoy the beauty of being in Middle Tennessee.  It has also become a great time for college trips and school fieldtrips.  That's what some of our teachers and students did for Fall Break.  They took a wonderful trip to Williamsburg, Virginia.

My 8th grade son and I visited Williamsburg a few years ago when we went there for a baseball tournament so he decided to "pass" on this particular school trip.  But there were lots of kids and teachers who were excited to go.  Knowing 8th graders like I do, I'm sure the "educational value" was not their top reason for wanting to go.  The teachers, however, realized the huge educational value of actually visiting this piece of history and actually experiencing the sights and sounds "in person."  These teachers who choose to take their Fall Break to spend more time with their students also realize the importance of forming valueable relationships with their students.  They know that sometimes these kinds of memories can only be made through experiences out of the classroom.  These teachers see mostly every moment as a "teaching moment."   It gives teachers and students a chance to interact and learn about things other than "what's going to be on the test."  They get to learn about life. 

Every so often teachers come along that your child just "clicks with."  You know, from looking at their homework and their classwork, that your child is "getting it."   This is a very good thing when you have come to the realization that you can't begin to understand 8th grade math, much less explain how to do it.  It's been sortof a "flip" statement at our house that "none of our kids have math brains."  They have all struggled with math through the years.  What I knew deep down, because I experienced it in 9th grade, was that math can be understood, if taught right.  I had a 9th grade Algebra teacher,  Mrs. Martin, and she could flat out teach Algebra.  It all made sense, for whatever reason.  So I recognize a really good math teacher when I see one.  This year when I went to 8th grade Open House I was THRILLED to hear my son's math teacher talk about the methods he liked to use to teach math.  He had puzzles and games and a "hands on" approach to math.  I was so excited because, you know, our family doesn't really have "math brains."  Well guess what........my 8th grader does have a "math brain" and his teacher, Mr. Benton,  knew how to tap into it.  I have watched, daily I might add, the online assignments and grades and creative ways that Mr. Benton teaches math.  Such a change from the "traditional boring" way of teaching math.  So, without even knowing Mr. Benton, other than our brief Open House introduction,  I had grown to love the way he was making my son know that, yes, he does have a brain that can learn math........and understand it and have fun learning it.

Mr. Benton was one of those teachers who knew that experiences out of the classroom were every bit as important to a child's learning as the tedious experiences in the classroom.  He was on the Williamsburg trip this past weekend.  He had chosen to go and tour this historical place and enjoy sharing that learning experience with his students.  He had chosen to use his Fall Break to do this because he loved teaching and loved his students.  Because I didn't know him personally, I know all of this from FaceBook posts from previous students he had in California.  Students across the country and from a number of years ago were saying the same things about Mr. Benton that his currrent students were beginning to find out.  He was interested in his students' wellbeing.  He called them "kiddo" when they were talking.  He listened to them, which is sometimes difficult with Middle Schoolers.

Today was a hard day to send my 8th grader out the door to school because Mr. Benton won't be in his classroom.  While on the Fall Break trip to Williamsburg he suddenly fell ill and didn't survive.  Thirty three years old with a wife and little baby girl.  The other teachers who were on the trip had to make that long bus ride back knowing what they would be facing when they got back.  Meetings with parents, crying 8th grade students,  and their own questions of "how could this happen?"  Middle Schoolers are so resilient.  They will walk in the classroom and it will feel strange.....quiet and somber where there was so much learning and laughter.  They will be encouraged to "talk about their feelings" but we all know that's probably not going to happen, with the boys anyway.  Maybe with the girls.  What I hope is that the love of students and the love of learning that Mr. Benton portrayed will be carried on in the hearts of the students.  I hope that one day there will be some who become teachers because they knew how he was able to make math "come alive" for them.  I pray for the teachers and staff in our school as they not only continue to learn life's difficult lessons, but struggle to somehow try to answer the questions from the students.  I am so thankful for great teachers in the lives of our children.  They are fulfilling a calling that is so much bigger than a GPA or an ACT score.  These teachers are making "math brains" out of "non math brains."  When I sent my13 year old out the door today, I knew that he would be horrified to think that I would want to take him to school and walk through the day with him.  So I prayed for him and I prayed for our awesome teachers and staff who will face a difficult week ahead.  And I prayed for Mr. Benton's family, who I will never meet.  And I gently asked God to please send another talented caring math teacher to our school........because we honor Mr. Benton by realizing that we should finish what he so carefully and lovingly started.