Interviewer’s Note

 It’s a shame that I only had a half-hour with Phil; however, I think we made the most out of our one conversation. I learned so much about a man who committed his life to one of the most noble professions, education. As a high school social studies teacher and volunteer ESL teacher, Phil empowered his thousands of students with the indelible privilege of knowledge. To Phil, that’s what teaching is all about–cultivating the next generation of professionals, changemakers, and leaders. After writing Phil’s legacy letter, I’ve gained even more respect and admiration for the educators in my life who are often far underappreciated.

Phil Rivera’s Story

To my daughter,

You are the most important person in the world to me. Being hundreds of miles apart, I know we don’t talk very often anymore, but that hasn’t changed how much I love you and how proud I am of you. In your honor, I leave for you the story of my life.

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My name is Philip Rivera, but everyone calls me Phil. I’m 80 years old now, so I’m ancient. I was born and raised here in Baltimore. Life was simpler than today without so much technology.

My parents were good people. I don’t know their whole love story, just that they met a dance and hit it off right away. My father was from Puerto Rico, and he was the export manager for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. My mother was a housekeeper at first but went into bookkeeping later in life. I loved my parents very much. I still do. They taught me honesty, loyalty, and truth.

I went to St. Mary’s College to study education, history, and psychology. There, I fell in love with teaching as a profession. I went on to teach high school students in the Baltimore County Public School system. Throughout 30 years, I was a teacher, department head, assistant principal, and supervisor.

My students are like my honorary children. I got to see all of them grow, not just as students, but as human beings in the most transformative time of their lives. I had a student aid named D. We became friends long after he graduated high school. We play golf occasionally. He’s a nice guy with a very good sense of humor. Most of all, he’s a great golfer. Better than I’ll ever be, but it’s not hard to be.

After a fulfilling career in education, I went on to volunteer for the Ignatian Volunteer Corps in Baltimore. I taught free ESL classes to Baltimore adults at the Esperanza Center. As a teacher by profession, I led training sessions for the college student volunteer teachers every semester. Personally, I developed the curriculum for five levels of ESL. We would use games and props and even take trips to the local grocery store or bank so our students could practice their English in real-world settings. I wanted to turn good teaching into great teaching.

Our students were just amazing. We had around 400 every year who came from all over the world–they were adults who made it a priority to be in our classes to learn English. It’s a skill immediately applicable in the street, at work, and with their children. It helps their families. They were serious. They were committed. And it was an honor to serve them.

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To my daughter, I don’t need to remember all of our moments to know that I love you. It does my heart good that you followed in my footsteps and became an elementary school teacher. You’re a great person, you’re considerate, and I can tell how much you love it. As teachers, we’re underpaid, so you’re not doing it for the money. You’re committed to cultivating the world’s next generation. I couldn’t be prouder of you.

With all my best,

Dad