Post 5: An Influential Teacher

This may not be completely related to educational technology but it has to be with education and eventually involves technology...
My high school choir director, Mr. Cloud, passed away at the beginning of this month after a long battle with cancer. Though most of his students, including myself, had not seem him in 4-5 years, news of his death spread like wildfire thanks to Facebook's News Feed. Soon enough a group of over 140 of his former students in his 7 years directing at my high school was created and plans for a reunion performance at his memorial service was scheduled (thanks to http://doodle.com).
Though Mr. Cloud had made significant impact in my life, I did not know how great his influence was on all the members of his former choirs until I saw the messages flooding in after his death. Mr. Cloud has touched the hearts of countless people, including myself and the rest of the Rowland Organization of Choirs students. Not only did he teach us about music and performance, but he also taught us to be ourselves. To be comfortable in our own shoes. To be confident in our own unique talents... He made us who we are today and we are grateful to have had such an amazing teacher, mentor, and friend.
 I was lucky to have had Mr. Cloud as my teacher and mentor from freshman to junior year in high school. He was a goofy teacher that was always very inviting. His classroom was always open during lunch and was bustling with students. He led a groups of misfits to find confidence in themselves and their talents. Our choir groups always had an encouraging family-like dynamic within them as well.
As I met with a group of his former students for practice, we were discussing how it seemed to be Mr. Cloud's last gift to us. Because if it weren't for Mr. Cloud, most of us probably would have gone on with not meeting up together. Though we are all greatly saddened over his passing, we are also grateful for having known him. (And 'yay' for technology, making way for all of us who had lost contact with eachother, reunite)