Today would have been my father’s 92nd birthday. My dad spent his entire professional life teaching math. He taught in classrooms, around kitchen tables, and anywhere a nervous teenager needed help understanding why x absolutely, positively had to equal something.
In addition to teaching high school math, he was deeply immersed in SAT prep. He taught classes, tutored students one-on-one, and even helped write the math sections of SAT prep books. Math wasn’t just his job. It was his language, his comfort zone, and occasionally his punchline. He truly believed that with enough patience and practice, math could stop being scary and maybe even become fun.
My kids never met their grandfather. He passed away many years before they were born. Still, if you asked them who he was, they would immediately tell you he was a math teacher. That fact has somehow become his calling card across generations.
Recently, something made me stop and smile. Both my son and my daughter tutor students for SAT and ACT test prep. They are pursuing careers in the arts, so tutoring is a practical way to support themselves while chasing creative dreams. And yes, it beats waiting tables. But still, of all the jobs they could have chosen, they both landed on tutoring.
What are the
odds?
There’s something quietly comforting about it, especially during the holidays when memories feel closer. I don’t believe they’re channeling their grandfather’s spirit while explaining quadratic equations, but I do think some things get passed down whether we plan them or not. A love of teaching. A knack for explaining things. A little patience mixed with empathy for stressed-out students.
My father would have loved this coincidence. He probably would have laughed, then offered tips, strategies, and maybe a few unsolicited improvements to their lesson plans. Mostly, though, I think he would have been proud.
Clearly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Sometimes it rolls a few decades forward and lands exactly where it belongs.
Happy Birthday, Dad!
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Thanks for reading!
Frosty
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