A Letter to My Younger Self

By Mr.David Clay

Bits of Wisdom From an Old Dude

The longer you live, the more you know about life. The students I teach are smarter than me… I just know more than they do. It is called WISDOM. You see, I have been a kid, a teenager, a young adult, and now a man that is 60 years old. I have also been a teacher for almost 40 years and what a pleasure it is to get paid to bug kids!

There are a few things I have learned over the years. Here is some advice I freely give to Richland students from a man who has seen quite a lot in his life.

Laugh

Laughing makes you feel good. Laugh at yourself. We all make goofy mistakes. Find humor in things...the world can be a funny place. I enjoy making people laugh. It makes difficult tasks easier, and it makes people relaxed as well.

Travel/Go Outside more

If possible go places. There is a big beautiful world out there. Whether it be close by or far away check out new places. Spend time outside. Nature is awesome and some of my happiest family memories are camping with my family.

Stay off the Phone

Live in the moment. Many kids live their lives staring at a phone. Look outside the windows when you are in a car. Enjoy doing what you are doing. I go to concerts and see people taking photos for social media or recording it instead of seeing it live. I have zero instagram followers and get zero likes on Facebook. People still like me.

Try New Things

Have a little bit of adventure in your life. Try new foods, new activities, and take a risk. The worst that will happen is that you won’t like it. You may find out you do like it. How boring is a plain doughnut? Very boring! I once was afraid to dance at school dances...once I did, I enjoyed it!

Be Humble

Accept the fact that you are not great at everything. You will find you are good at some things but not so good at others. That is OK.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help or be too proud to say you are sorry.

You don’t need to be the best at sports or the best looking person in the world. Whoever you are...there are people who will love you!

College?

College is great for some but not for all. Messages from schools make it sound like all kids should go to college. You don’t have to. Some jobs require it, others don't. You’ll turn out fine either way with hard work and a good plan.

Choose a Career You Enjoy!

You won’t like every job you do. I had jobs that I did as a teenager that were not always fun, like cleaning bathrooms at a movie theater. I did learn something from each job and from each boss I’ve ever had. I am very lucky to have loved my career of teaching. I really enjoyed going to work and had a lot of fun doing it. If I did not like it I could not have done it for so long. I met many great people along the way and have decades of fond memories of teaching kids. If you enjoy your career, it will bring you joy and not seem so hard at times. Most of us will have to work during our lives. You might as well enjoy what you are doing. I certainly did!