I think that there's no doubt
that I have been inspired, most of all
by my parents, particularly my mother;
and I don't mean that just in the traditional ways that children are
inspired by parents
but both of my parents were
role models for lifelong learning.
So I graduated from high school a year early. I went to Northern Illinois
University; lived in a dormitory;
did that traditional freshman and college thing.
And at the conclusion of the Spring semester, I got called in to the dean's
office and they said
Ted going to class is part of going to college;
and since you didn't do much of that this year,
we don't need any more beer majors at Northern Illinois University. Why don't
you take some time off and think about whether college is really for you?
And so I'd I didn't get invited back; and I didn't belong there anyway.
And so I went back home.
I lived in Aurora and and got the kinds of jobs that high school graduates
got; and decided after three or four years of that,
that I really did need to go to college. And I started at
College DuPage, the community college there in the
western suburbs; and it changed my life.
And the reason that it changed my life
was not because it put me on a very strong career
trajectory by going to college, but I had the best
teachers at COD that I ever had in my entire
educational career; and I mean that very sincerely.
Waubonsee Community College was the community college in town. It was just--
--their downtown campus was just a few blocks from where I worked.
I thought you know maybe there's something over there I can do at night,
some program or learn a new skill and so
I what went into the foyer, and they had a big rack with all the pamphlets on
there of all the different programs they had, and I was looking there.
And my next door neighbor's sister came around the corner
of the hall, and she said, "Ted Raspiller, what are you doing here?" And I said, "Well hey, Sue.
I'm looking for,
you know, just something to do at night, maybe I'll take a class." I forget what
pamphlet I had my hand, but we we're kinda chuckling about
that be more for enjoyment than a career field.
And she says, "Have you ever thought about teaching?" And I said,
"You know, I've thought about teaching, but I'm not so sure.
(You know, here I am from the family of teachers, right.) She said,
"No, I'm serious. I'm teaching. That's why I'm here. I teach in the
GED, the high school completion program
two nights a week, and we're always looking for
instructors, particularly male instructors. So I called her back
later that week. And I went in, talked to the coordinator of the program, her boss.
And she said, "We'd love to have you a couple nights a week."
And so I was
(this is probably three or four weeks into it.) I was driving home
got it to the first stoplight, and I thought, "You know,
if Jose and I could have just had 15 more minutes
he would have understood multiplying fractions
and been ready to start Algebra next week."
And that was what was on my mind as I was driving home that night. And I drove down to
the next stoplight,
and I thought, "Ted Raspiller, you've never in your life
wished you could have spent 15 more minutes at work."
So I started--I dwelled on that, and I got to thinking
because it's not work. It's a passion. It's something that I really enjoy.
I don't want to
be thought of as a place that we only go to
on our path to a four-year school or we only go to
when we're trying to get skilled or re-skilled to enter or re-enter the
workplace.
I want to see John Tyler as that partner
for all of the people that we serve--
--all of our constituents throughout their career.
It's not just enough to get them in the door. It's not just enough to get them in
the door and get them through one program.
It's that lifelong learning partner. If there's anything that I can leave
at John Tyler, I hope its
thats same excitement in everybody that works here,
everybody that attends here and everybody in the communities that we
serve
that sees that same value in building and diversity,
building and experiences and continuing to be better
and more effective at what they do whether where that's at work
or at home raising their families, or in learning,
that's the greatest legacy that I could leave.