Putting his lessons to use

"It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." - Albert Einstein

Back in high school, in a school system that was often more focused on mediocrity and "leveling the playing field" than encouraging its students to excel, I was fortunate enough to have a small handful of really extraordinary teachers. Last Wednesday, June 10, one of them was informed by email that he was being "involuntarily reassigned" from Hendersonville High school. It turns out he and the new principal have some sort of personality conflict. Unfortunately for her, there's a very good reason he got Teacher of the Year a while back.

By the end of the day, some of his former students had created the Facebook group "Save Fuqua!" And now, only one week later, the group has 1,723 members and 200 to 300 of his former and current students have sent emails to the school board, media, and to Mr. Fuqua himself.

And here's where it gets interesting. The media actually picked up the story.

Popular Hendersonville High teacher shocked by reassignment
Hendersonville Star News, June 11

Dear Metro Nashville Public Schools: Hire David Fuqua
Nashville Scene, June 12

Students Rally After Teacher Transferred To Different School
News Channel 5, June 12

Hendersonville teacher move prompts e-mail blitz
The Tennessean, June 14

Teacher unhappy about transfer to Portland
Hendersonville Star News, June 16

I sent my email in last week, on June 11th.

Dear Mr. Bills:

I am an alumna of Hendersonville High School. I graduated in 1999 and was a student of Mr. Fuqua. I am currently an environmental engineer in Huntsville, Alabama.

I do not know the exact circumstances regarding the removal of Mr. Fuqua from Hendersonville High, so all I can speak to is my experience as one of his students. His class was one of the most memorable I attended during my four years at HHS - one that, to this day, has shaped my approach both to my career and my duties as a US citizen. His style of teaching is exactly what is needed to help develop independent, critical thinking and a passion for civic involvement. I think now, more than ever, we need people who are capable of analyzing issues, researching information, and educating themselves. The real world is not a carefully organized and presented textbook, and Mr. Fuqua gives his students the skills to navigate conflicting information and opinions in a capable, rational, and informed manner. His style is unstructured and informal, but then, so is life outside the classroom.

By removing Mr. Fuqua from Hendersonville High, the educational experience available to the students - never one of the best when it came to actively encouraging excellence - has been even further diminished. The students there will be poorer for never having the opportunity to challenge each other and themselves in such a unique and constructive manner.

I think the response you've received over this issue speaks for itself. It is a firsthand look at how much Mr. Fuqua inspired his students and how well we learned his lessons. More than anything, he taught us to speak out and to do something when it comes to the things in which we believe. I am thankful for all I learned from Mr. Fuqua, and I am asking you to extend the same privilege to the current students of Hendersonville High School.

I don't know if any of it will make a damn bit of difference, but something about seeing all of us come to the defense of a truly outstanding teacher...well, that gives me the warm fuzzies.