justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

The Best Singer/Songwriter

You Never Heard Of

I recently discovered a talented singer/songwriter, Jesse Winchester, just after he passed away in 2014. I happened upon a post by Jimmy Buffet, which has resulted in my love and respect for the music and life of this immensely talented man. He’s been described, as follows:

“… a singer’s singer and a songwriter’s songwriter”, from www.margaritaville.com.

“Jesse performed several songs, most notably the stunning ‘Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding’, from Love Filling Station, a tender and shockingly beautiful ode to the nonsense lyrics in the teenage love songs of the 1950s. The performance literally stopped the show, according to Costello. ‘I just bowed my head,’ the host said, ‘and told the audience that they had to go home because I could not gather myself to make the next introduction, such was supernatural beauty of his voice.’”

Also quite moving was Allen Toussaint's Tribute to Jesse, “I Wave Bye Bye” ‬https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXvBD5T9za4

Not that we live our lives to become “famous”, or even well known. It’s cool that the sum total of our contributions, especially in our chosen field, are remembered when we are still alive – and that maybe they “made a difference.”

As my professional career starts to wind down at age 77 – at a pace similar to the snails my students raced at our Great Snail Races for over 10 years – I’ve started substitute teaching in the Santa Fe Public Schools - and I love it! Even though it’s been 38 years since I’ve been a public school classroom teacher, my abilities to engage and motivate students have not skipped a beat, regardless, or in spite of, all the technological advances and changes children and their parents have experienced over the past generation plus.

As I interact with and study my students in their different classes and different schools, ranging in ages from 4 to 17, asking them questions about themselves, I can sense genuine connections being made with these children. They allow you into their world because they know you care about them, and they can trust you.

And, it’s also cool to realize that many of my students are young enough to be my great grandchildren.

So, I’m bound and determined to continue leaving my mark, to enhance my legacy, so that no one will be able to say about me after I’m gone, that I am

The Best Teacher You Never Heard Of