Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!

Recently I got to watch a favorite movie again & I could not help but make comparisons between the character in the movie & my son, & ultimately my students. The movie is, “RUDY!” It is a family favorite for many reasons, (football, Notre Dame) for some, but it is also a family favorite because of the premise of the movie. It is a true story about a young man who so desperately wanted to go to Notre Dame & play football. It was a daunting task & he had such an uphill battle to get there. He worked tires-sley to get into the school & to attain his dream of playing for the football team. This goal eluded him the entire time he was at the school. He was small, but he sure had tenacity. He was on special teams & never got to dress for any games until the very last day of his season senior year. The movie has many defining moments, a few that each time I watch the movie I cry. I’m not sure which defining moment is my favorite One of those defining moments is when his teammates stick up for him. They all march into the coaches office, one by one & ask that Rudy be allowed to dress for the last game. The coach says no, but the first young player refuses to listen to, “NO” he proceeds to say let Rudy take my spot & proceeds to hand over his Jersey. One by one the whole team comes in to the coach & hands over the Jersey. The other defining moment for me is when he gets to suit up & enter the field for the 1st & last time. His teammates once again stick up for him & beg the coach to let him on the field for a play. The coach was not having any of it, despite the defensive coach asking for Rudy to be put in. The team once again takes matters into their own hands. The player that handed over his Jersey first to coach starts chanting, “RUDY! RUDY! RUDY!” The whole crowd catches on & before you know it, Rudy has entered the field. He makes two plays, one he even makes a tackle. The game ends with his teammates carrying him off the field. The story is a heartfelt, feel good movie, but like I said it began to remind me of teaching & my son. When the whole crowd is chanting & then all stand up for him, I was instantly transported back to my son’s graduation 9 months ago. His accident was 4 weeks before HS graduation. We spent those four weeks praying for him to stay alive so imagine our delight & thrill when he is allowed to attend graduation. His rehab facility made sure he would get to go to graduation. When his name is announced the entire football stadium rang out with applause, chanting, sires blowing (his own FD company was there to cheer him on)! It was an amazing scene. His classmates gave him a standing ovation along with the entire football stadium. The moment was breathtaking for us. We were sobbing, screaming, & completely blown away. It was just PRICELESS! After watching Rudy again I realized my son is like the character Rudy. Rudy is a touching story about never giving up, NEVER letting anyone stop you from trying to achieve what is most important to you. Being a “Rudy” in life gets you through some really hard parts in life, but you are all the more better for it. My wish for my son, as well as my students is that I not only instill in them the “LOVE” of learning but the ability to be themselves, to never give up, to keep fighting despite obstacles & hardships. I wish everyone gets to have their “RUDY” moment in life! I wish to be the one to instill in them the “Rudy” principals in life. If I can achieve that, they will be successful in everything they do!

Hugs,