Numerous memories exit today in my mind, many that I hold close to my heart. Great teachers who no matter their absence leave behind a footprint that the past cannot erase. You parted from this world in 2009 due to a sad cause, your life ended unexpectedly. Occhi you have been gone now for four years, since that dreadful afternoon that is still bitter to remember. Even so you made sure your life and actions as a teacher and a friend would remain as testimony for those who were a part of your life at one point or another. In the classroom you were an awesome teacher, inspiring your students in the most weird and hard to understand ways. As a coach in the many extracurricular activities you participated in you always devoted yourself. Besides all of this you were still a beautiful human being, building bonds past the classroom, past graduation...for this reason I still have the card you gave to me at my wedding.
Tonight you are the reason for this piece, tonight the memories of you are my reflection. You were a fan of the Oakland A's and their pass to the playoffs made my mind wonder to that place that you now inhabit and to the fact that you're not here walking this earth but your memories still remain. I am happy your A's made it to the playoffs for this triggered a beautiful memory of you in my mind, this brought back the teacher who was also a fan outside of the classroom. I no longer find you in the classroom you used to hold, but I do find you in a special place...the memories you left behind in my heart. I'm sure many of your students also feel the same way, even though we cannot talk to you, we cannot visit you at the old high school, you still remain a big part of their lives. Truth is you impacted many of our young lives. As your A's make it in another year the news of their division win open up a chest of memories that are connected to you. Teachers are wonderful individuals that can instill memories in their student's minds and hearts, they are special "angels" who come to us and touch our lives. It is because of some of those "angels" that I am inspired to be in the teaching program. It is because of their impact and their teachings that I in part wish to dedicate my life to this profession; in the hopes of someday modeling the same for my students.
Tonight I am remembering you, tonight your memories are not lost...tonight you are here with us. A long distance separates our bodies but the Oakland A's unite our thoughts. Thank you for the legacy you left behind, thank you for inspiring me, thank you for being a great teacher and an unforgettable friend. Your life was cut short, but Michael Occhi by no means are you or will be forgotten.
“The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they've died. They're like the pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made of stone, they're made out of the memories people have of you.” -R.J. Palacio
Michael Occhi, English teacher, coach, friend...Oakland A's fanatic.
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