Dear parents, families, students, and staff of Rangeview and Gateway High Schools,
It has been an honor and privilege to teach and coach at Rangeview HS for the last nine years and 22 years at Gateway HS before that.
Many students and athletes have made me feel special and appreciated in my endeavors to teach and coach them. Thank you for your love of learning and competition. After 6000 or so students and athletes, I have many treasured memories of our experiences together.
The staff I have worked with at both schools are truly amazing people. You put in long, hard hours doing one of the toughest and most dynamic of professions, teaching teen-agers. When it comes down to it, it’s you and the relationships you build with the people around you. That makes the most difference. And you are the best at it. Thank you for the many lessons and friendships that I have built with you over the years.
Coming from the Midwest, I sometimes looked at my students as the next crop in the field. You hope you’ve got good seeds. Then you pray for rain, plenty of sunshine, just the right amount nutrients, and watch them grow. Each year you try new things to get just the right mix. Sometimes there are surprises, good and bad. Sometimes everything would go wrong, and still get great results. And the opposite is true. In the grand scheme of things, I have benefited more from teaching than being in any other profession I can think of. I did not give my life to teaching TEACHING GAVE LIFE TO ME.
My wife Kathy, is also retiring after 29 years in the classrooms of St. Pius X Elementary School and Sidecreek Elementary. We plan on relaxing and traveling.
Keep trying, don’t give up, and persevere. It’s not a question of if you get knocked down in life but how are you going to get back up. Live, laugh, love.
Sincerely yours,
George Coker