My Boy is 53. Had a Friday Night Light Gathering with One of the Best Educators, Dads, Minds, and Friends I've Every Known. I'm Lucky.

All week, I knew the culmination would be for Dave Wooley's 53rd birthday. I can still remember when he applied to the Connecticut Writing Project for Teacher Leadership and he explained how hip hop was his passion and that's where he hoped to go with his writing. I asked, "Let's hear something," and he began to perform a piece he wrote about his father, a fire fighter who lost his life during the 9/11 tragedies. Obviously, he was in. And then, during the summer, he wrote a piece called Walls about the 2016 election, the horrific reality it brought forward for thinkers, doers, and minds like him, and how it was emblematic of the anti-immigration and refugee decision-making at that time. At an NCTE conference, as he performed, we are all moved, shaken, and brought to tears. 

Teachers. Teachers who love teaching. Teachers who love language. Teachers who were paralyzed by the hateful movements that ran rampant across the United States (and still do).

Walls needs to be played and discussed with students in every classroom. 

Fast forward (we were once younger) and I can say our families blended because of time, circumstance, and the ways life goes. I am NOT a hip hop artist, and definitely not a historian. Dave, however, lives the work in his blood, lifework, and soul. He's a quiet fellow who spends more time listening and processing that preaching. He, coupled with the philosophical mind of Kris Sealey, have kept me mesmerized. Now, as their boys get older (and they have a MAJOR influence on the boys of Mt. Pleasant), I'm in awe of how much Dave and Kris comes out in the conversations the kids naturally have. 

There are no words. There's only knowledge and creativity. It's in the family.

I love this guy and being a selfish bastard, I asked "What would I want right now as a gift," and it was obvious. My Subaru is a winter mess and needs to be cleaned. So, because he is VIP to me (Yeah, Dave Wooley, You know Me), I got him a gift card for a car cleansing. He has a lot more use in his Subaru than I have. A couple beers and a card, and I know we're good. 

I work with teachers in every school - every school needs the brilliance of Dave. He's reflective, quiet, and observant. But, when he speaks we need to listen. It is wisdom at its core. Nothing will ever be able to replace the magic of his mind, and the way it goes forward with Kris, Justin, Isaiah, Val, and Ishmael. They are a study in how to raise kids in intellectual traditions and debates. 

In short, he's a class act. Period. So happy to celebrate another milestone with him.