Nice guys...and rewards

Teaching Pre K-8, Jan 1999 by Broderick, Patricia

Allen Raymond, who normally writes this column, has been evicted.

For this month only

Evicted, because he wouldn't have told you that he was elected to the EdPress Hall of Fine by The Association of Educational Publishers. And we're so proud of him.

The citation reads, in part, "...congratulations on this lifetime achievement award. EdPress has benefitted directly from your great work in education. We're pleased to have the chance to give you something back with this recognition."

In choosing the "Nice Guys" title for this memo, I hoped those words had not lost their impact. There are many extraordinary people nice guys and women - working their hearts out for causes, for other people, or just to do some good. This memo is about one of them.

Through 35 plus years, in addition to working with a great publisher, I've had the eye-opening opportunity to work with one of the giant "nice guys."

Although Allen Raymond has had his photo in the paper often enough - for he is a doer not only in education, but in civic life - it's never appeared for a zillion things he does every day that have truly made a difference in the lives of others.

He doesn't tell anyone about the countless hours he spent reading to a difficult man, with no family, whose eyesight was failing due to diabetes. Nor would he tell you what it took to get a new library built in the town in which he lives.

The local symphony needs help? Call Allen Raymond. National education association desperate for accounting services? He's their man. Teachers calling for reassurance, or advice? A young writer to mentor? Allen Raymond is always available.

Small or large project, helping one person, the local school system or an entire industry; the operative words for Allen Raymond are ". ..I think I can help."

A lifetime achievement indeed.

Honesty, integrity, responsibility I hope those words, too, still have real meaning like "nice guys" - for they are part and parcel of the man who is Allen Raymond.

I've learned firsthand from Allen that there's more to caring than delivering a check. In his terms, there's often an extra mile to walk in the form of hours and hours of dull and/or difficult meetings and less than rewarding jobs, to achieve a desirable goal. Allen walks that mile over and over again.

Teachers, of course, know all about going that extra mile as you spend hours giving a quiet boost to a child or family in need, supporting student fund drives with your organizational know-how, mentoring young teachers and all of the other caring tasks that are never recounted in the newspaper, or for which few take the time to say "thanks." Both education and life are immeasurably enriched by you and by the Allen Raymonds of this world.

In looking at the parallels with Allen Raymond's service, the road all of you good teachers walk is much the same, however, the rewards are different. Allen Raymond has the chance to hear us say publicly, "Well done, Boss."

Each month, in this memo, Allen tries to let all of you know that you're the greatest.

In addition to honoring Allen in this memo, I get the chance to join him in letting you know that publishing this magazine for you has truly been our real reward.