Farewell Message From Mr. Brandel
Dear USD 342 Students, Faculty, Parents, School Board members, and community:
I would like to express my humble gratitude for the blessed opportunity to teach and guide the children and young adults of this community for the past eight years in music and theatre. As I have been packing things up for the past few weeks, in between the usual busy nature of the spring semester, I have had many warm memories rekindled in my heart. When I look back at the sheer number of performances, the big musicals, the concerts, all those caroling trips in December, the two big music trips in ’04 and ’08, I am astonished that we could accomplish so much here. What’s more amazing are the great people I have had the privilege of working beside, both student and professional.
Starting with the faculty, I cannot say enough about my colleagues. Most of the time I have felt unworthy of working with all of you including those who have left McLouth in the past several years. You are all so incredibly hard-working and professional and I am proud to know you. I’m sure I have earned the reputation as a faculty clown, always ready to laugh at a moment’s notice. However, I listened to you all intently when you spoke and I heard every word you said, even if I didn’t want to but needed to hear it. I can count the number of arguments I have had with any of you on one hand over the past eight years, and that is a tribute to you much more so than it is to me. It is a marvel that you do what you do so well and through so much. I will greatly miss being along -side you throughout our nine month marathon. I suppose someone else will have to take my leg of the journey.
For our classified staff-custodians, secretaries, paras, cooks, many others – you are the nerve center of the district. You have worked much harder than I do and you are awesome beyond words. You should have been earning my salary (individually, not split amongst you). God bless you for doing the hard time so often and especially for helping me out so many times. Debbie, Dee, Amanda, Anna, everyone in central office, wow, you are my heroes, really.
To my administrators, well, what can I say? I suppose I haven’t been a nightmare, but not necessarily a dream come true either. Please forgive me for my many imperfections, most of which I’m sure you have kept to yourselves, politely so. I am indebted to you for all the support you have lent and help you have given me. I admire all of you for the many difficult decisions made and duties you must conduct on a daily basis.
To the parents, and support community of McLouth – thank you. You have sent your children to me every day for nine months of the year and that is a blessing. I have had the unique opportunity to teach kids at every level for the past eight years and have watched many of them grow up. I could not ask for a greater gift. I pray that you appreciate that I have always taken my responsibility with the utmost seriousness, that I am responsible for your children’s well-being for eight hours a day, often times more than that. I have seen and treated them as my own children and love them as such. Thank you so much for allowing me to do that.
Finally, and most importantly, for my students both past and present, wow, this hurts so bad, I can’t explain it in a coherent manner. If someone had told me when I was your age that I would be given the greatest career in the world and then I would voluntarily lay it down after only 14 years, I would have denied it as even remotely possible. But, here we are. I am so proud of all of you. We have accomplished so much together in and out of the school day, many times with so little to work with. There are so many names I could rattle off; there just isn’t enough time or space to speak about each of you, though you all deserve your own tributary plaque. For my current students, I hate leaving a work in progress. You will have to finish for me, okay. I can’t wait to see what awesome people you become. I know I have many times driven you crazy and many more times left you wondering if I was even border-line sane. Please understand that it was always with love that I did or did not do, that I said or did not say. I never meant any of you harm, though I may have caused it, and I have never born a grudge when you had to walk away. I never deserved any of you but I got you any way, and I thank God for that every day. Please understand that my leaving is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and that I wouldn’t do it unless it was for a very good reason – the best reason. You are forever in my heart and mind, and if you ever need anything from me, please don’t hesitate to ask. I have always seen you as my surrogate children, small miracles walking the hallways. I hope you can realize that I love you all immensely. I think the hardest part of all of this will be when school starts in August. Not gearing up to be there with you will be heart-wrenching, to say the least. Please remember to cherish your years at McLouth because there will never be a time in your life as unique and special as this one. I know you get tired of hearing this, but you are all miracles created to affect the world around you. There is no role that is small or insignificant and no life is an accident. You have purpose, zeal, and desire – you can do anything. Every life you touch touches countless other lives so that everything you do has impact, has importance. You have qualities within you that you don’t even realize are there and whether you want to be a stay-at-home mom or a rocket scientist, you are important and valid and we need you to be your best. Above all, though, please be good to each other, love and respect each other, your parents, your teachers, your bosses, and one day, your own family. I promise you’ll never regret doing this and making the hard decisions. Being a part of your lives has been a blessing beyond what I could ever ask or deserve. The privilege has been mine. Thank you for sharing your lives with me. If you ever need anything, or just want to say hi, drop me a line, I promise I’ll reply. I’ll try to visit once in a while too.
One final word about a few people with whom I have shared special moments with over the years.
To my Fine Arts homies, Mr. Polson and Mzzzzz Scott, I love you and will miss you both so much. Polson, you are so awesome, I am not fit to hold your intellectual sandals. How will I cope without you putting me in stitches several times a week? Scott, you are so cool and way older than I am. I will miss your little notes you leave, many of which really pulled me off my game several times. You will always be teacher of the year to me.
Johnson, there is nothing I can say to adequately sum up how I feel. You are an inspiration and a joy to be around. You are the other head, the bad cop, the most unchanged changed man I’ve ever known. I owe you so much for all you have done for me. I have never enjoyed life more than over the last eight years. All the times we sat together after performances, after everyone else had gone, just talking about what to improve, how to improve it, how to better reach the kids, constantly working and reworking. How did we ever pull off Oklahoma! in the spring after we got back from Durango? All the shows we pulled off. Does anyone remember you driving to Nebraska to get Audrey II for Little Shop? I do and I always will. There are so many memories; I could not post them all. I will miss laughing with you every day and watching you work – no one is more professional and solid, no one. When I think of what we have created, I hate to leave it behind. I leave a part of my heart and soul behind of which you are the caretaker. You are the runner with me in the race, the godfather of my only son, a brother, a counselor, my best friend. You are the quintessential example of the kind of person I describe to kids: spend time with people in your life that make you want to be a better person. I have never been better than I am for knowing you. I can never repay you for the gifts you have given me. Take care of our kids in McLouth; watch over them for me while I’m away.
Well, folks, it was a fun ride. However, the future holds greater joys and challenges. Are you ready to take ‘em on? Let me know if you need any help. I’ll be just around the corner, in your back yard and I’ll miss you, but I’ll be around. The best is yet to come. I left contact information with the school, if you ever need or want it. God bless McLouth, Kansas! See you around…
Yours now and always,
Michael Brandel
