Hi, Matt Bodle, board member of Rhy’s Above.
As a teacher, my “Why” is as straightforward as it gets - the kids. The ones I refer to as “my kids” even if I haven’t seen them in years; the ones I worry about constantly, even under what we would consider normal circumstances. My relationships with my students and the community are what keep me moving forward personally, and I could not possibly pass on the opportunity to join a board of such highly motivated and passionate individuals.
I had the pleasure of teaching Rhyland when he was in fifth grade. I saw a kind, energetic kid with a tremendously bright future ahead. And then there’s that smile - the type of smile that you can never forget if you spent any amount of time with him. I was also fortunate enough to be able to catch up with Rhyland a few times after he left our school, and I was always impressed with how mature he was becoming as a teenager. I loved that he would always be one of the first to come over and say hi when he saw me - certainly not high on every teen’s list of priorities, but absolutely indicative of the type of person Rhyland was. For me, it was the little things that would always highlight his thoughtfulness and caring.
Teachers, especially those at the elementary level, are “fixers” by nature. We always have the answer, the extra pencil, the band-aid, the smile. Even if it’s not perfect, we can figure out a way to make things work and love nothing more than when things are flowing smoothly in our little corner of reality. When the news broke of Rhyland’s passing, for the first time in my adult life, I couldn’t be the fixer I wanted to be. The immediate, visceral feelings of ears ringing, nausea, tears were soon replaced with the nightmare helplessness of having no idea what to do next.
I was not prepared for how losing Rhyland would affect me as a person or as a teacher. Hell, I wasn’t even prepared for how I was going to get out of bed and try to face my students, some of whom had just lost a neighbor and a friend, with any enthusiasm the following morning. Since that Monday, my perspective on what it means to be part of a school and part of a community at large has undergone a massive shift.
It is time to address mental health and teen suicide by creating meaningful dialogue in our own lives and on a community level, providing access to resources and programming, and educating youth and families. A tough conversation now can save a thousand down the road.