A Short Goodbye

Today I grew as a professional because of the work of one man. I work for kids. Everyone I work with does; but sometimes we forget that. Today, we said goodbye to someone who never forgot it in his 31 years of service to the same organization. Think about that for a second. In this day and age, it is one thing to spend ten minutes in one place. Today, Charles Toth retired from an organization to which he truly gave his life's work. From a substitute teacher, the man moved up to Principal Deputy Director.

Anyone who knows Charlie can understand why. He's a mammoth man with a personality just as big. His voice booms as he speaks in triads to his teams. It used to be teams of football players and basketball players, but it quickly became teams of teachers, principals and eventually I got to play on his team. This last team didn't win any titles, but as I'm sure he always did, we played as hard as we could for him. Charlie's skill is knowing what he doesn't know and letting others lead when they can. He knows talent when he sees it and he pushes people to be better.

Charlie taught me today that you don't get to pick when you're done. I'm sure he would have preferred going out with a district title and the accolades that could have brought for us. He knows he leaves an organization in a bit of turmoil. He also knows that it is someone else's game now. He was gracious in bowing out, never allowing anyone to see the disappointment he might have been masking. He thanked everyone. He showed me what it should look like after 32+ years of marriage when you thank your wife for standing by you.

It was very similar to watching my Dad bow out of Education last year. You don't get to pick it, but when it is time, it is just time. It is a gift and you can't keep it. Charlie taught me my last lesson today as I was walking out. Keep your nose clean and look to the future. A good coach sees the potential, but it is up to the player to reach that potential.

Charlie, this is a private blog that isn't viewed by many people, but I thank you and so do thousands of military students and parents. You kept them safe whether they knew it or not while their parents were defending this nation. I will do the best I can to keep that in mind when I do this work. Enjoy your retirement. It is well deserved!