Reach out and thank your "Mr. Holland"

Remember Mr Holland's Opus? Remember the big scene at the end, when everyone comes from far and wide to gather and honor Mr. Holland for making a difference with his life?

My Mr.Holland was Larry Carney. And I just heard he died this week.

I have many memories of Larry Carney. I learned many things from him. And now, looking back at my favorite teacher many years later, I can see what set him apart and made him such a great teacher.

Good teachers give outside the classroom. I was not easy to figure out in high school. I was always bright, always into all kinds of school activities and volunteering. I was in student government, the editor of the paper, in choir. Then at Christmas of my senior year, I fell for an older boyfriend. I spent the last six months of my senior year checked out of school, writing letters to my boyfriend in college, miserable, quitting all of my activities. Carney got me through. I spent every lunch that winter and spring in his classroom. I used what was undoubtedly his planning period as we sat and talked, ate and discussed life. He was my best friend.

Good teachers talk straight. Carney was one of many people who didn't think it was the smartest idea for me to get on a plane the day after I graduated from high school and move a couple of states away to be with someone. He tried talking to me at every turn, getting me to listen in a way I was not inclined to listen to my parents. But I was stubborn. And I will never forget him looking at me, the day before graduation, and saying, "If you are back soon, come and find me. I will be here." I was indeed back relatively soon. And I went and talked to him. And he never stopped being there.

Good teachers show you the world. Carney taught our AP Seminar. This was a class of 12 seniors, studying civics and politics. Carney took us to see the Legislature, to see food banks. He got us interested in volunteering, in politics, in talking about the issues. He showed us all the world outside of our small town. And the influence took root. I ended up pursuing a career in politics and nonprofits, remembering Carney imploring us to "do something that matters" with your life.

Good teachers make connections. Its been more than 30 years since I took Carney's class. We kept in touch over the years and saw one another. And, when I got my first big job in Washington, D.C., my hometown paper wrote an article about it. They approached Carney for a quote, and he said, "I am not surprised at all that Lauri is working on Capitol Hill. I will be surprised if she doesn't become a Member of Congress herself."

I never did become a Member of Congress. But I think I have done some good. And much of it came from seeds that were planted by Larry Carney long ago.

Teachers change lives, yet they often don't see the results of their work. It would be great if every "Mr. Holland" walking into a gymnasium filled with former students performing his grand Opus. But that's not reality. Reality is that we all too often forget to tell our teachers what they meant to us. And then they are gone.

Carney's memorial is next Saturday in my hometown. Message me if you are a friend from high school and I will get you the details. I plan to be there to remember my old friend, my mentor, my teacher.

And if you are lucky enough to still have Mr. Holland out there, please, get in touch after you read this. Make sure he or she knows how much of a difference that was made in your life and in others.

That difference is, after all, every teacher's grand Opus -- their legacy of students, spread around the world, doing good or sharing things we learned. It's a teacher's immortality.

Lauri Hennessey is the Vice President of Engagement at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and, over her 30 year career, has worked in media, on Capitol Hill, at nonprofits and at PR agencies. But it all began in her AP Seminar Class with Larry Carney.