In all of my 13 years, I’d probably never heard the word “degenerates” used as a label or insult. It was one of several epithets he liked to employ quite regularly. To change it up, his repertoire also included wilting appellations such as “loser” and “weakling” but degenerates seemed to be his favorite.
Luckily, these weren’t used at the students, at least not directly. Rather, these were characterizations that Mr. DeJuliannie used when describing what he wanted his pupils to AVOID becoming. He implored us to believe that if we didn’t focus on our studies and become contributing members of society, degenerates we would most certainly be.
The year was 1988. It was an era—at least in this part of the country—when teachers like Mr. DeJuliannie dressed up for work. It got very cold in the winters of the Michigan U.P. (that’s Upper Peninsula) so he dressed in layers—sport coat, sweater vest, necktie, slacks, almost always in earth tones.
He left a multi-sensory impression. I can picture him vividly in this uniform he donned every day. I can also smell the aroma of tobacco on his breath. I can hear the gravel (no doubt linked to the tobacco) in a voice that had to have been well into its seventh decade.
At Gwinn Junior High, you had a Reading class and a separate English Language class. Mr. DeJuliannie, or DJ, as students called him, taught the former. Beyond his specific subject area though, DJ seemed to be in the business of molding young minds. Business was very good.
The man was, in a word, gruff. If you saw your buddy at the lockers in between classes and you mentioned you had DJ in the next period, you got knowing looks of sympathy in return.
However, hiding behind the tough-as-nails exterior was a gifted educator who cared. Gosh did he care. He intensely wanted you to be better at reading. He almost willed you to do it—to comprehend the meaning, to absorb the dialogue and to analyze the author’s intent. His own intent was singular—to produce literate Michiganders AND productive members of society. Was he nice, warm or fuzzy in going about it? That’s an unequivocal no. Was he brutally effective? That’s a resounding yes. If you were an intimidated and impressionable seventh grader like me, you may not have liked him but you damn sure respected him.
I’ve thought about Mr. DeJuliannie over the years and he was definitely top of mind yesterday. I was talking to one of the younger players on a youth football team that I help coach. I was explaining that his coaches invariably won’t always be warm, but they will always focus on him being effective…bringing the best out of him.
As back-to-school time approaches, think about what you ask your sons and daughters (or grandchildren) about their teachers. The default too often is, “Is your teacher nice?” Perhaps the better questions, especially for students getting into junior high and high school, are, “Does your teacher care?” or “Is your teacher someone you respect?” or “How desperately does your teacher want you to succeed?”
DJ checked all those boxes. Wherever he is, I hope he can look down and feel good that the world has a few less degenerates because of guys like him.
