Letters To My Teachers: Mr. Frost

Dear Mr. Frost,

I think we had a weird relationship.  I’ve been spending weeks thinking about how I want to structure this note to you but it is completely impossible to simplify.  Maybe this is because our relationship was not simple?  I remember seeing you as someone who I did not fully understand at first.  Then I saw you as someone who seemed to understand me.  In time, I would open up to you and let you learn more about me.  We shared a love for Gloria Estefan.  You taught me about The Miami Sound Machine.  I played "Turn The Beat Around" on the trumpet in the 8th Grade "solo assembly", our musical talent show.

It upset me so much that students would make fun of how you dressed.  Because I was raised to treat teachers like kings and queens, it totally baffled me how anyone could even think to make fun of a teacher who was so approachable and funny.  It's like they had to pick something, right?  "Why not choose how he looks?"  Was that the thought process behind the bullying you experienced from the 12 year olds?

I think I was afraid to let you into my life because I saw how you were treated and I thought that if people saw me befriending you, my life would only get worse.  Obviously I gave up on that when we shared our love for all things NASA.  I wanted to do my science fair project on the story of Dr. Mae Jemison, the first black female astronaut.  You wouldn't let me!  You wanted me to do something more complicated.  I think I almost won the science fair that year... but I can't remember what the project was.

You would see me walking through the halls and you would pull me aside and we would just start having conversations.  I remember when Mars Pathfinder and the rover Sojourner landed!  We placed a bet that it would land (or not, on your end).  It was such an exciting time in space exploration.  There were times when you could see that I was very visibly down.  I think you might have caught me a few times after a very recent bullying moment.  You used to tell me that I had something special, though.  God, I had no idea what you meant.   I'm still not really sure if I know exactly what you meant by that.  But gee, it really made me feel just a little bit better about being myself.

Sometimes you would elaborate, if I recall correctly.  You told me that my passion for things made me stand out.  That I could see things that other people could not see, and that one day I would be very successful and far from here.  

I'm so far right now.  I'm seeing the world.  I'm on the other side of it.  I'm writing this letter from the amazingly delicious and affordable food court at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.  I guess back then, I never thought something like this would be possible.  I was getting motion sickness all the time from basic car rides on the Garden State Parkway. 

Thank you for telling me I was special when I was really, really down.  Thank you for sharing my love of space exploration.  Also, thank you for sharing your love of Gloria with me.

Thank you,

Jonathan